Trump's Confusing Silence; Bible Class; Defunding Gets the Fed Vote; CA's Continuing Socialist Strain; Mamephant or Elemoth?; Hornless; Bulletproof Origami; Paper Airplane Aid; and Juno Stays Put

Anti-Semitism

Jewish groups ask: Why won’t Trump denounce anti-Semitic attacks? mcclatchydc v

Not only did Trump not condemn the attacks, he also largely ignored the issue and at least once responded as if the accusations were directed at him, which they weren’t. The reaction has left Jewish groups confused and frustrated, especially following the visit this week of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House.

Also see Jewish reporter who clashed with Trump is 'hopeful' for White House outreach in fighting anti-Semitism washingtonexaminer v

Society

Bill Would Standardize Bible Classes in KY Schools westkentuckystar

Lawmakers are advancing a bill in the state Senate that would require the Kentucky Board of Education ky.gov to set guidelines for an elective social studies course on the Bible, both the Old Testament and the New Testament. Each school would decide whether to offer the course.

"It's important to understand this bill doesn't teach the Bible, rather it's an elective social studies course that teaches about the Bible," said Jack Westwood, a former state senator who is now a policy analyst for the Family Foundation of Kentucky.

Abortion

House votes to enable states to defund Planned Parenthood bbc w!

The House of Representatives passed HJ Res 43 on Thursday by a mainly party line vote of 230 to 188. The repeal proposal is expected to pass the Senate and be signed into law by President Donald Trump.

Health Insurance

California to weigh single-payer, universal health care plan mercurynews

The Healthy California Act, co-authored by Sen. Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, was submitted just before the deadline for new legislation. It doesn’t yet offer many specifics other than the lawmakers’ intent: to create a so-called single-payer system that would pay for coverage for everyone.

Genetics

A hybrid of a mammoth and an elephant could be created within two years, scientists say independent.co.uk

The work would be an important step towards the controversial mission to completely resurrecting the long-extinct animal. That in turn could give rise to the rebirth of a range of creatures that have died out, with only their DNA needed to bring them back to life.

Hornless cows created to make farming safer telegraph.co.uk

Animal geneticist Dr Alison Van Eenennaam, of the University of California, discovered it is possible to splice the ‘hornless’ gene from Aberdeen Agnus cattle aberdeen-angus.co.uk into the widespread black-and-white Holstein dairy cows holsteinusa so that they are born without protrusions. Instead they simply grow soft hair on the parts of their heads where hard mounds normally emerge.

However regulators have not yet agreed whether animals produced through genetic engineering should be allowed into the food line. So the experimental cows produced by the University of California cannot yet be used in farming either in the US or the UK.

Tech

Origami Kevlar shield stops .44 Magnum theengineer.co.uk v

Designed to be portable, the device weighs 25kg and folds almost flat when not in use. It has 12 layers of Kevlar surrounding an aluminium core and uses a Yoshimura origami crease pattern to expand. Deployment takes approximately five seconds, with the shield providing protection from the side as well as the front.

Research

The biodegradable paper airplane that could revolutionize humanitarian aid mashable v

The APSARA gliders are made from an inexpensive material called mycelium, designed to be aerodynamic and degradable within a matter of days. For the testing stage, however, Otherlab otherlab used heavy-duty cardboard as a similar stand-in. The gliders can also steer themselves, using off-the-shelf electronics built inside (GPS, autopilot, small servomechanisms and a disposable battery).

Space

Juno Jupiter Probe Won't Move into Shorter Orbit After All space

Juno slipped into a highly elliptical, 53-Earth-day-long orbit around Jupiter when it arrived at the giant planet on July 4, 2016. The probe was supposed to perform an engine burn in October to reduce its orbital period to 14 days, but an issue with two helium valves postponed that maneuver.

Also see House Votes to Overturn Obama Rule Forcing States to Fund Planned Parenthood lifenews

Others...

Weather expert: 10 trillion gallons of rain to fall on California in a week's time latimes

In photographs: the beauty of our oceans positive.news w!