Menendez claims he’s being charged because he’s a ‘Latino American’

By Emily Goodin, Senior U.S. Political Reporter

Published: 16:26 EDT, 22 September 2023 | Updated: 16:27 EDT, 22 September 2023

Democratic Senator Bob Menendez on Friday denied the corruption charges against him and claimed he is being ‘falsely accused’ because he is a ‘Latin American’ who rose from a humble childhood to the United States Senate.

Menendez and his wife Nadine Arslanian Menendez have been indicted by a federal grand jury over corruption allegations in an investigation that focused on a luxury car, $400,000 in gold bars and cash, plus payments toward a home mortgage allegedly received by the couple.

The four-term senator, the son of Cuban immigrants, denied the charges and refused to resign.

‘Those behind this campaign simply cannot accept that a first generation Latin American from humble beginnings could rise to be a U.S. senator,’ he said in a statement.

Menendez said prosecutors in the Southern District of New York ‘misrepresented the normal work of a Congressional office.’ 

‘I have been falsely accused before because I refused to back down to the powers that be and the people of New Jersey were able to see through the smoke and mirrors and recognize I was innocent,’ he said.

He added he would not be ‘distracted by baseless allegations’ but continue his work as senator.

The indictment claims the couple had an improper relationship with three New Jersey businessmen: Wael Hana, Jose Uribe and Fred Daibes, who allegedly paid the couple in exchange for Menendez to use his influence in Washington D.C. to their benefit.

The couple face three criminal counts each: conspiracy to commit bribery, conspiracy to commit honest services fraud, and conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right. The three businessmen face charges of conspiracy to commit bribery and conspiracy to commit honest services fraud.

The indictment also charges the senator with providing ‘sensitive U.S. Government information and took other steps that secretly aided the Government of Egypt.’ 

David Schertler, a lawyer for Nadine Menendez, said she ‘denies any criminal conduct and will vigorously contest these charges in court.’ 

Menendez also defended his wife of three years.

‘Not content with making false statements against me, they have attacked my wife for longstanding friendships she had before she and I ever met,’ he said in his statement.

The senator also pointed out he has faced and defeated corruption charges before.

‘They wrote these charges as they wanted; the facts are not as presented. Prosecutors did that last time and look what a trial demonstrates. People should remember that and not accept the prosecutor’s version.’ 

This is the second time Menendez faces a corruption charge. A 2015 case ended in mistrial after a jury failed to reach a verdict on all counts and a judge acquitted him on some charges. 

The first time Menendez was indicted, he had been accused of using his influence to help a Florida eye doctor who gave him gifts and campaign contributions. 

Menendez was accused of pressuring government officials to resolve a Medicare billing dispute in favor of Dr. Salomon Melgen and securing visas for the doctor’s girlfriends.

He said he was innocent. His lawyers said campaign contributions and gifts from Melgen — which included trips on his private jet to a resort in the Dominican Republic and a vacation in Paris — were tokens of their longtime friendship, not bribes.

Prosecutors dropped the charges after the mistrial.  

Menendez is running for re-election for his New Jersey Senate seat and already facing at least one Democratic challenger in the primary.

If Menendez were to step down before the end of his term, New Jersey’s Democratic governor, Philip Murphy, would appoint a successor.

Menendez has held public office continuously since 1986, when he was elected mayor of Union City, New Jersey. He was a state legislator and spent 14 years in the U.S. House of Representatives. In 2006, Gov. Jon Corzine appointed Menendez to the Senate seat he vacated when he became governor. 

The new indictment outlines a series of texts, payments and actions the couple allegedly took to help the three businessmen, actions from which they financially benefited.

The probe listed several ‘bribes’ paid to them. ‘Those bribes included cash, gold, payments toward a home mortgage, compensation for a low-or-no-show job, a luxury vehicle, and other things of value,’ the indictment said.

A June 2022 raid on their New Jersey home found ‘over $480,000 in cash – much of it stuffed into envelopes and hidden in clothing, closets, and a safe,’ the indictment notes, adding Nadine had over $70,000 in a safe deposit box. 

It also found two one-kilogram gold bars and eleven one-ounce gold bars.

Damian Williams, attorney with Southern District of New York, outlined the charges and supporting evidence during a press conference Friday morning, saying the couple used Menendez’s ‘power and influence to protect and enrich the businessmen and benefit the government of Egypt.’

He notes investigators ‘executed a search warrant and discovered over $500,000 worth of cash stuffed into envelopes and the senator’s jackets.’

‘That is not all. Agents discovered a lot of gold,’ he added.

The indictment alleges that Menendez tried to disrupt a federal criminal prosecution of Fred Daibes in exchange for the money and other items of value. Daibes is an old friend of Menendez, has fundraised for his Senate campaign, and allegedly has ties to the Genovese mob family.

The indictment charges Menendez ‘promised to and did use his influence and power’ to pressure President Joe Biden to nominate a U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey who Menendez ‘believed could be influenced by Menendez with respect to the federal criminal prosecution of Fred Daibes.’

Menendez recommended and Biden later nominated Phillip Sellinger as U.S. Attorney for New Jersey, the top federal prosecutor in the state. 

Daibes has been under investigation before. New Jersey authorities have tracked high-ranking mobsters meeting with Daibes repeatedly over the last decade, the Daily Beast reported. 

Daibes provided the couple with gold bars and envelopes of cash, the indictment states. 

‘Multiple gold bars provided by Daibes were found during the court-authorized June 2022 search; of the couple’s home, the indictment states. It also says the senator performed a web search for ‘how much is one kilo of gold worth’ and that the envelopes of cash had the fingerprints of Daibes and his driver. 

The investigation also focused on 40-year-old New Jersey businessman, Wael Hana, who has known Nadine since before she started dating Menendez.

Hana, who is originally from Egypt, operated the company IS EG Halal in New Jersey and it soon became the sole entity authorized to certify that any halal food product imported into Egypt from anywhere in the world had been prepared according to Islamic law. 

According to the indictment, Menendez ‘improperly advised and pressured an official at the United States Department of Agriculture for the purpose of protecting a business monopoly granted to Hana by Egypt and used in part to fund the bribes being paid to Menendez through Nadine Menendez.’ 

The designation of IS EG Halal surprised U.S. agriculture officials. Previously, several other companies had been doing that certification, but they were dismissed by Egyptian agriculture officials in favor of IS EG Halal, which had no previous experience in the field.

The indictment charges Menendez with using the power of his position on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to influence the State Department regarding policy in Egypt and with sending Nadine ‘highly sensitive’ about Egypt that he got in Senate briefings that she, in turn, gave to Hana.

As a senator, Menendez could put a ‘hold’ on State Department funding to the country. 

In a text to his wife, Menendez tells her: ‘I am going to sign off this sale to Egypt today. Egypt: 46,000 120MM Target Practice Rounds and 10,000 Rounds Tank Ammunition: $99 million.’

Nadine then forwarded it to an Egyptian official who replies with the thumbs up emoji.

Egypt has long been a top recipient of U.S. government aid – more than $1 billion a year – but relations between Washington and Cario have been strained by Eygpt’s human rights violations.

Now that he is indicted, Menendez will have to step down as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Rules for the Senate Democratic caucus say that any member who is charged with a felony must step aside from a leadership position. 

Hana allegedly promised money to Nadine via a no-show job with his company. And, after months of nonpayment, she complained about not receiving the promised funds. 

The indictment includes a text from Nadine to a friend: ‘I have been so upset all morning. [Hana] left for Egypt yesterday supposedly and now thinks he’s king of the world and has both countries wrapped around his pinky. I really hope they replace him.’

Records show Arslanian was battling foreclosure on her Bergen County property in 2018. When she and Menendez got engaged, it began a period of financial turnaround for her.

Within weeks of their engagement, she incorporated a business, Strategic International Business Consultants LLC, according to state records. Her foreclosure case was dismissed soon after. The following year, her assets included gold bars valued between $100,000 to $250,000, according to a Senate disclosure form amended by Menendez in March of 2022.

Between April and June of 2022, the couple sold between $200,000 and $400,000 worth of gold bars, while keeping at least $250,000 worth of them. 

Businessman Jose Uribe allegedly bought Menendez and Nadine the luxury vehicle, a Mercedes-Benz C-300 convertible worth more than $60,000.

In exchange, Menendez ‘agreed and sought to interfere in a New Jersey state criminal prosecution of an associate of Uribe,’ the indictment states. 

Uribe provided Nadine Menendez with $15,000 in cash for the down payment for the Mrecedes and then paid the monthly payment for her.

After she had possession of the car, Uribe texted  her: ‘are you happy?’ She responded, ‘I will never forget this.’ 

She also texted her husband, after the purchase was complete: ‘Congratulations mon amour de la vie, we are the proud owners of a 2019 Mercedes,’ with a heart emoji. 

To celebrate its 100th anniversary, The Walt Disney Company has opened its vaults to reveal a list of 30 locations across Europe, the Middle East and Africa that have inspired, and featured in, its films and theme parks over the past century.

These locations and productions are presented in a series of paired photographs, so fans can compare the real-world attractions with how they’ve been reinterpreted and used by Disney’s filmmakers and designers. 

Examples include the Norwegian fortress that partly inspired the castle in Frozen, the Tudor estate that influenced the maze in Alice in Wonderland and the enchanting forest that informed the setting for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. 

Research commissioned by The Walt Disney Company found that two in five (42 per cent) Brits are unaware that many Disney films and park attractions are based on real-world locations.

The study also found that when Brits were asked which UK locations they would like to see featured in future Disney films, the Lake District topped the list (14 per cent), followed by Loch Ness (10 per cent) and Edinburgh Castle (10 per cent).

Scroll down for all 30 pictures to see how incredible real-world places have had starring roles in Disney productions – and fired up the imaginations of its creative staff…

Tens of millions of people — more than live in the entire state of Florida — are now exposed to toxic water runoff from metal mining, a new study has found.

The report lays bare the devastating impacts that can follow a reckless transition to ‘green’ energy, compounding the ecological damage wrought by over 150 years of drilling and mining for fossil fuels.

The researchers found that 23 million people worldwide, as well as 5.72 million in livestock, over 16 million acres of irrigated farmland and over 297,800 miles worth of rivers have been contaminated by mining’s toxic byproducts seeping into the water.

This metal mining includes many so-called ‘rare earth elements’ essential to the manufacture of high-tech electronics, solar cells, wind turbines and all the batteries needed to store sustainable ‘green’ energy (and power electric cars and iPhones).

While the new study focuses on environmental impacts, global metals mining has recently faced shocking lawsuits against major tech firms, including Apple, Google, Microsoft and Tesla, over child slavery in the Congo, where 70 percent of the industry’s cobalt is sourced.

‘Rapid growth in global metal mining is crucial if the world is to make the transition to green energy,’ noted Chris Thomas, a zoologist at the University of Lincoln whose specialty is in spatial ecology and threats to the global water supply.

Thomas led the analysis and modelling work for the new study, which was published  today in Science.

Thomas and his colleagues have developed a new database, supported by on-the-ground testing, which now maps the hundreds of square miles’ worth of rivers and floodplains contaminated by these industrial processes across the globe. 

The devastation wrought by this contamination, they found, was widespread, affecting approximately 297,800 miles (479,200 km) of river systems total and over 63,000 square-miles (164,000 sq-km) of floodplains worldwide. 

But, North America stood out as the most affected, at 123,280 miles of tainted river systems, and approximately 10.7 million acres of polluted floodplains. 

But the damage was not much better in South America with 50,766 miles of rivers and over 9.5 million acres of floodplain impacted; nor in Asia with about 37,842 river-miles and about 8.3 million acres of floodplain polluted by metal mining waste.

In terms of potency of local damage, however, the the scientists saved their harshest criticisms for ‘the environmental legacy of historical mining,’ which they said was ‘most problematic in western Europe,’ where long-abandoned old mines have left lasting environmental damage.

‘Much of the estimated global contamination we have mapped is a legacy from the industrial era,’ Thomas said in a press statement. ‘Rightly, modern mining is being encouraged to prioritize environmental sustainability.’ 

The researchers developed a model to predict the spread of contaminants from all known active and inactive metal mines — plus facilities used to seal off hazardous mining waste — with a focus on pollution from lead, zinc, copper, and arsenic.

These potentially harmful contaminants and industrial byproducts can seep into the local water supply, whether transported downstream where the metals are deposited along river beds and floodplains, or otherwise sinks deep into underground aquifers.

Mark Macklin, director of the university’s Lincoln Centre for Water and Planetary Health, who led the international team behind the new research, said he anticipates the new study’s maps and modelling tools will help prevent future reckless mining.

‘We expect that this will make it easier to mitigate the environmental effects of historical and present mining,’ Macklin said.

‘Our new method for predicting the dispersal of mine waste in river systems provides governments, environmental regulators, the mining industry and local communities with a tool that, for the first time, will enable them to assess the offsite and downstream impacts of mining on ecosystem and human health.’

All told, the researchers identified 159,735 abandoned mines and 22,609 active mines — as well as 11,587 mining waste storage facilities and 257 known cases of failed and leaking storage sites. 

The team described the new database in their report as ‘the most comprehensive compilation of metal mine locations to date.’ 

Concerns over just how bad the ecological impact of metal mining for sustainable technology might be is complicated by the diverse variety of resources involved, which can lead to ‘apples to oranges’ comparisons.  

According to the MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative, green energy technologies like wind turbines and electric cars often do require many more mined minerals than the present fossil fuels infrastructure. 

One electric car, for example, requires six times more metallic and mineral materials than a combustion engine car, MIT’s university team reports. 

And a wind power plant requires nine times more of these mined compounds than a traditional gas-fired plant.

But these heavy investments in initial overhead are dwarfed by the repeated volume of fossil fuels currently mined today to meet present and growing energy demands. 

As of 2021, over 7.5 billion tons of coal were extracted from the ground, wreaking havoc on local people and environments from Sydney Australia’s Royal National Park, to coal-rich Inner Mongolia in China and more.

This is a whopping 25 times the current estimates of the metal mining needed for a clean energy revolution by 2040, according to projections from the Paris-based International Energy Agency (founded during the 1970s oil crisis by the OECD).

The transition, according to the IEA, will require new mining under 30 million tons.

Scott Odell, a visiting scientist at MIT’s Environmental Solutions Initiative who specializes in clean energy and mining, cautions however that these environmental impacts often need to be assessed on a more detailed, case by case basis.

The mining of any two different metals requires different techniques with different impacts — as can two separate deposits of the same metal if located in significantly different conditions.  

‘I think if someone were to tell you one or the other is better in terms of direct impacts pound for pound,’ Odell said, ‘you should ask a lot of questions about how they got to that answer.’

Nikki Haley ramps up criticism of ‘thin-skinned’ and ‘easily distracted’ Trump: 2024 hopeful says he’s ‘weak in the knees’ on Ukraine in most direct attack on her rival – as she rises in the polls

• GOP presidential hopeful Nikki Haley said Thursday that history will remember former President Donald Trump as ‘thin-skinned and easily distracted’ 
• She’s touring New Hampshire as she rises in the polls in the Granite State
• Haley, who served as Trump’s U.N. ambassador, was asked how the ex-president will be remembered 100 years from now 

By Nikki Schwab, Senior U.S. Political Reporter For Dailymail.Com In Portsmouth, New Hampshire

Published: 15:26 EDT, 21 September 2023 | Updated: 15:28 EDT, 21 September 2023

A motion by Rep. Matt Gaetz to remove Kevin McCarthy as Speaker is found in Capitol BATHROOM

• Resolution on vacating McCarthy from his speakership was found in a bathroom under the House floor next to a coffee on a baby changing table 
• It ‘declared the office of Speaker of the House of Representatives to be vacant’
• Motion was drafted just three days after McCarthy announced an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden

By Katelyn Caralle, U.S. Political Reporter For Dailymail.com

Published: 09:45 EDT, 20 September 2023 | Updated: 09:45 EDT, 20 September 2023

Motion to remove Kevin McCarthy as Speaker found in Capitol bathroom

By Katelyn Caralle, U.S. Political Reporter

Published: 11:31 EDT, 20 September 2023 | Updated: 11:31 EDT, 20 September 2023

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Millions of Americans are unknowingly being exposed to toxic smoke from vapes and cigarettes on a regular basis, a study suggests.

Researchers at the University of Florida testing the blood of 13,000 people found evidence of nicotine exposure in 51 percent of participants.

Of this group, a whopping 67.6 percent had insisted they were not breathing in smoke from vapes or cigarettes.

The findings suggest 56million Americans — or nearly one in five adults — are unwittingly taking in this smoke.

The team warned there was ‘no safe level’ of this smoke to breathe in, saying it raises the risk of heart and lung problems and cancer. Separate research suggests it could even cause smaller testicles.

Vaping has taken off in the US with more than nine million Americans now using the devices, with popularity surging to as many as one in four high schoolers.

Cigarette smoking also remains reasonably common with 28million Americans lighting up regularly, mostly in the Midwest and South. The habit has virtually disappeared in some areas, however, such as Manhattan.

Smoke from cigarettes and vapes may linger in the air for hours after it is released in indoor and poorly ventilated areas, risking others breathing it in.

Dr Ruixuan Wang, a public health expert who led the study, warned: ‘There is no safe level of secondhand smoke exposure, and long-term exposure can increase the risk of many chronic conditions.

‘[These include] coronary heart disease, respiratory disease and cancers.’

She added: ‘We want people to be aware of their exposure so they can take protective actions.’

For the study, researchers analyzed data from the US National Health Examination Survey (NHANES) conducted between 2013 and 2020.

This survey is carried out annually by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to help assess the health of the nation.

For their study, the researchers looked at a nationally-representative sample of survey data on Americans reporting second-hand smoking — breathing in fumes from smokers and vapers. 

They also looked at data from blood tests for cotinine, which is a byproduct of nicotine made by the body after someone breathes in smoke. It can linger in the blood for days.

Researchers found that, overall, 34.6 percent of participants under-reported their exposure to nicotine.

They also found that the levels of cotinine in the blood of people reporting second-hand smoke exposure was higher than among those who were not reporting this. 

Dr Jennifer LeLaurin, a biomedical expert and senior author of the study, added: ‘It could be the case that for low-level exposure, maybe you don’t notice it. 

‘You’re in a public setting, and maybe you’re not even aware someone is using tobacco around you. Maybe it’s so minor you forgot.

‘There’s also the possibility that some of the respondents were aware of some secondhand smoke exposure but chose not to report it due to the stigma.’

It comes after a study in mice suggested that exposure to smoke from vapes makes your testicles smaller and lowers your sperm count.

In research on male rats, experts from Turkey tested what effect exposure to smoke from e-cigarettes and normal cigarettes had on the rodents’ sexual health.

They measured how much sperm the animals could make, what their testicles looked like under a microscope and markers of stress in the blood and genitals.

The authors wrote: ‘It should be considered that although [e-cigarette] liquid has been introduced as harmless in smoking cessation studies, it could increase oxidative stress and cause morphological changes in the testicle.’ 

But regular cigarettes – which have long been tied to male infertility – were even worse in terms of lowering sperm count and disrupting sexual function. 

For most  on board, long-haul flights are endured with a sleep mask, a few films or TV shows… but for the pilots flying the plane, it’s a very different story. 

Despite common belief, pilots have a lot more to do in the skies after switching to autopilot, and one pilot has taken to TikTok to set the record straight. 

In response to a confused TikToker who asked: ‘What the hell to pilots do for an 18 hour flight, like Singapore to New York, 18 hours, all they need to do is take off and land,’  airline pilot Gary Baumgardner said 

Sharing to his 240,700 followers the pilot, based at LAX, said that it’s not ‘entirely accurate’ to say they just take off and land. 

Clearing up any confusion, the airline pilot spoke to MailOnline.  

Speaking in the viral video, after just completing a close to 18-hour shift, Gary said he wanted to ‘clear up’ some misconceptions. 

He said: ‘Everybody thinks we’re like Homer Simpson up there and there’s just like a big button we push. One button sit there call it the autopilot and we do nothing.’

But, Gary explained: ‘The autopilot is a tool the way a bat is a tool for a Major League Baseball player when he wants to go hit a home run.’

For example, the pilot explained that if they are flying during a thunderstorm, autopilot cannot just automatically direct you out of it. 

He added: ‘If ATC [Air Traffic Control] tells you to climb or descend or turn, that just doesn’t happen with the autopilot, we have to do that.’

According to Gary, they have to complete logs, take ATC calls and do ‘all kinds of other things’ such as do system checks. 

‘And that’s just if we have nothing that’s going on that’s non normal or emergencies,’ he added.

Another common misconception is regarding pilot’s sleeping arrangements, but the pilot soon cleared that up and told followers that pilot’s can sleep. 

He explained: ‘I know for a fact that if you have a flight that is 18 hours long, you have four pilots and we actually have our own beds and bunk beds up there and we sleep and we eat.’

On an 18-hour flight, he said, pilots can eat breakfast, dinner and lunch – but perhaps not in the correct order due to time differences.  

According to the pilot, most international flights have ‘rest bunks’ for the crew to sleep in, but for those that don’t, he said: ‘They’ll reserve a first class seat that you can sit down and lay in so you can get some rest.’

Since it was posted, the TikTok has raked in nearly four million views, and has received thousands of comments from intrigued users. 

After much confusion in the comment section, Gary confirmed to MailOnline that there are always two pilots at the controls and that they will only be given breaks when ‘you have at least three pilots.’ 

He explained: ‘Breaks will vary depending on how many crew members and the length of flight but typically are 2-3 hours.’ 

Gary revealed that he actually prefers longer flights because it is ‘more efficient with your time and pay.’

He added: ‘Flying 1 flight that’s 6 hours to Hawaii is more pleasant than flying 3 flights that are 2 hours each. However, not all pilots think this way and many prefer shorter flights.’

One person wrote: ‘It’s an incredibly tough job,’ while another added: ‘Thank you for keeping us safe.’ 

One ex-flight attendant commented: ‘I’m glad you’ve explained this because people used to get mad seeing that pilots are asleep.’ 

Meanwhile, another added: ‘Imagine just chilling in first class and you see your pilot chilling next to you.’ 

The US has begun to feel a bit of chill in the air and that means fall is upon us, when bright green leaves change into hues of orange, yellow and brown. 

If you’re wondering when your city is going to be covered in beautiful fall foliage, then this interactive map predicting peaking viewing dates should help out. 

The new season has already begun arriving in New England and in some parts of Washington, North Dakota and Montana. 

By September 25, all of the northern states and some parts of the west coast will be covered in fall colors.   

States in the Midwest such as Iowa, Kansas and Ohio will be completely enveloped in fall colors by October 9 but those in the south will have to wait until October 30 to see the first signs of the season.

Although by November 13, only southern states which include Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma, and Florida will have foliage, while the rest of the country will be past its peak season. 

The map, which can be viewed at SmokyMountains.com, was created by David Angotti. 

The predictive map uses a complex algorithm that computes over 37,000 pieces of information in order to accurately forecast when fall peak will occur at the county-level.

And although it is not 100 percent accurate, it is a tool used by avid leaf peepers to plan their annual trips to see the spectacular colors around the nation. 

Leaves can change their color from as early as mid-September all the way through early November. Usually, the second and third week of October are marked as the peak times but with it can vary depending on location and local weather conditions. 

When fall leaves drop to the ground, they gradually break down and create a nutrient-rich layer on the forest floor. This layer acts like a sponge, soaking up water and providing food for trees and plants. It helps them grow healthy in the spring.

So, while leaves falling in the fall protect trees during winter, they also help trees survive and thrive in the spring and summer. This natural cycle keeps trees healthy and sustainable year after year. 

The green in the map highlights trees that have not yet changed color and brown is past peak viewing, but the two shades of red indicate ‘near peak’ and ‘peak.’

Compared to last year, fall foliage is set to arrive sooner in 2023. Most of the country was experiencing the season by October 17 in 2022 but by October 9 this year, a majority of states will be covered in fall colors. 

Data has shown that climate change is the reason why fall has arrived early in the US and other parts of the world. 

The reason why climate change is bad for fall foliage has a bit to do with plant biology. 

When days get shorter and and temperatures drop, the chlorophyll in leaves breaks down which causes it to lose its green color. The green gives way to the yellows, reds and oranges that make for dramatic autumn displays. 

As the planet gets warmer, dry regions are expected to get drier and wet regions will receive more precipitation. This extreme weather caused trees stress in areas that receive bare minimum rainfall. 

This stress can cause leaves to miss the fall color turn completely and simply die and fall off instead of following its natural process. 

These trends impact the aesthetics of fall foliage, in addition to raising concerns about agriculture and water supplies and are expected to become more drastic in the future.