Latest news with #MattSlater
ITV News
02-08-2025
- Science
- ITV News
Return of the giants: Why bluefin tuna are back in Cornish waters
Atlantic bluefin tuna are making a remarkable comeback in our seas - a spectacular annual event that marine biologists witness each summer, yet remains largely unknown to the public. These magnificent ocean predators, some weighing over 600lb, have returned to Cornish waters for their annual summer feeding season, creating one of the country's most spectacular marine wildlife events. Once commercially extinct in these waters due to overfishing, their reappearance signals improving ocean health and successful conservation efforts. Despite their dramatic return, scientists still don't fully understand what's driving these powerful fish back to our waters. Dr Tom Horton from the Centre for Ecology and Conservation at Exeter's Penryn Campus in Cornwall is leading research to unlock this mystery. He explained: "Bluefin tuna come here to feed each year on smaller fish, but the reality is that we don't really know exactly what they're eating. "This knowledge gap matters because if their prey populations decline, the bluefin may well migrate elsewhere." Understanding the tuna's diet could be crucial to ensuring their continued recovery. Commercial bluefin tuna fishermen working off Devon and Cornwall are partnering with researchers to analyse stomach contents from caught fish. These predators play a vital role in marine ecosystems. Marine biologist for the Cornwall Wildlife Trust, Matt Slater, explained that tuna feed primarily on sardines, and with abundant sardine populations in our waters, the tuna's feeding habits are unlikely to conflict with commercial fishing interests. Chris Gill, one of the commercial fishermen involved, sees the partnership as essential for the species' future. He said: "It's great to be able to work with the team to make the most out of every bluefin tuna we catch. "We're all invested in the comeback of bluefin tuna, and making sure there's enough food to keep them coming here is clearly important." The tuna's return has generated excitement among conservationists who see it as evidence that marine protection efforts can work. Dan Barrios-O'Neill from Cornwall Wildlife Trust describes their comeback as "a real sign of hope in a rapidly changing world". However, questions remain about the sustainability of this recovery. Climate change is altering ocean temperatures and prey distributions, while fishing pressure on small fish that tuna depend on continues globally. The research extends beyond simple curiosity about tuna diets. Scientists want to understand how these predators fit into the broader marine ecosystem and what their return means for other species. Emily Theobald from the Marine Management Organisation emphasised the practical importance of this research, saying: "More science means more understanding, which means better ability for fisheries managers to manage effectively and sustainably." The project is seeking crowdfunding support to complete this season's research. The research team plans to share their findings with policymakers and managers, potentially influencing how the UK protects both predators and their prey. As Jonny Hughes from Blue Marine Foundation notes, incorporating predator needs into fisheries management represents an important evolution in ocean these magnificent fish continue their summer visits to British waters, scientists are racing to unlock the secrets of their return.
Fox News
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
'Dangerously unqualified': NY lawmaker unveils the 'length' of Mamdani's 'radical' agenda
New York Assemblyman Matt Slater reacts after NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani meets with top Democratic lawmakers and discusses the shocking policies the Democratic socialist could bring to the role if elected.
Daily Mail
29-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
AOC breaks silence on yearbook photo that destroyed her tough girl from the Bronx image
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez defended her supposed 'Bronx girl' upbringing after a Republican lawmaker exposed her yearbook photo from a top-ranked, suburban public school. On Tuesday, State Assemblyman Matt Slater jumped into the online clash between AOC and President Donald Trump, after the liberal progressive called for Trump's impeachment over his approval of airstrikes on Iran without congressional authorization. After the discourse led users to show off her alleged old home in Yorktown Heights - supposedly now valued at over a half a million dollars - Ocasio-Cortez responded to allegations she grew up 'privileged.' 'I'm proud of how I grew up and talk about it all the time! My mom cleaned houses and I helped. We cleaned tutors' homes in exchange for SAT prep,' she wrote to social media. 'Growing up between the Bronx and Yorktown deeply shaped my views of inequality & it's a big reason I believe the things I do today!' Slater told The New York Post the left-wing congresswoman was just continuing to double down on her inconsistent story. 'She's embarrassing herself for doing everything possible to avoid saying she grew up in the suburbs instead of the Bronx.' 'She has said she visited extended family, she has said she commuted,' Slater said. 'Now she's in between. It's clearly desperate attempts to protect the lie that she is from the Bronx.' After the discourse led someone to show off her alleged old home in Yorktown Heights - supposedly now valued at over a half a million dollars - Ocasio-Cortez responded to allegations she grew up 'privileged' Ocasio-Cortez was born in the Bronx, though she moved to Yorktown at the age of five, eventually graduating from Yorktown High School before attending Boston University. The original clash earlier this week ignited a fiery exchange between AOC and Trump, during which the congresswoman appeared to invoke her Bronx roots as a source of her toughness. 'Also, I'm a Bronx girl. You should know that we can eat Queens boys for breakfast. Respectfully,' AOC wrote to X in regards to the president's Queens upbringing. But Slater escalated the debate by unveiling a yearbook photo of her as a high school freshman in the affluent suburb of Yorktown, Westchester County - a 40-minute drive from the Bronx. 'If you're a BX girl then why are you in my Yorktown yearbook?' Slater wrote on X. 'Give it up already.' Alongside his tweet, the Republican lawmaker posted two images: a black-and-white throwback of a young, smiling AOC, and the 2004 yearbook cover from Yorktown High School. In a statement to The New York Post, he dismissed the 'AOC-Bronx mythology' as 'laughable,' adding that the claim is just as laughable to the 36,000 residents of the Westchester community. 'The truth is AOC is Sandy Cortez who went to Yorktown High School and lived at the corner of Friends Road and Longvue Street,' Slater told the outlet. 'She may think it makes her look tough or like some kind of champion for the radical left who voted for Zohran Mamdani, but she really needs to come clean and drop the act,' he added. The takedown came shortly after AOC - who represents parts of both the Bronx and Queens - called for Trump's impeachment following his order to deploy a dozen 30,000-pound 'bunker buster' bombs that reportedly 'obliterated' Iran's three largest nuclear facilities. 'The president's disastrous decision to bomb Iran without authorization is a grave violation of the Constitution and Congressional War Powers,' she said on Saturday. 'He has impulsively risked launching a war that may ensnare us for generations. It is absolutely and clearly grounds for impeachment.' Trump swiftly fired back, challenging her to 'go ahead and try impeaching me, again.' 'Stupid AOC, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, one of the 'dumbest' people in Congress, is now calling for my Impeachment, despite the fact that the Crooked and Corrupt Democrats have already done that twice before,' he wrote in retaliation. Trump then noted that the liberal firebrand 'can't stand the concept of our country being successful again,' because members of her party 'aren't used to winning.' After that came the personal attacks on the congresswoman's intelligence, as Trump added 'when we examine her test scores, we will find out that she is not qualified for office.' Less than an hour later, AOC replied to Trump's jab, writing: 'Mr. President, don't take your anger out on me - I'm just a silly girl.' 'Take it out on whoever convinced you to betray the American people and our Constitution by illegally bombing Iran and dragging us into war,' she added. 'It only took you five months to break almost every promise you made.' But Slater - representing parts of both Putnam and Westchester counties - quickly jumped in, posting the two photos with the caption beneath one: 'Here's the Yorktown High School '04 yearbook pic. Friends Road looks nothing like the Bronx.' The 35-year-old Democratic socialist congresswoman has faced scrutiny over her suburban upbringing since her unexpected triumph in 2018 catapulted her onto the national stage. During her campaign, AOC highlighted her deep personal ties to the borough by sharing stories of her childhood and neighborhood life, aiming to authentically connect with Bronx voters and present herself as 'one of their own.' Even during a segment with late-night host Stephen Colbert during Trump's first term, she reaffirmed her Bronx identity, telling him, 'I don't think he knows how to deal with a girl from the Bronx.' However, at just five years old, AOC moved with her family to a modest two-bedroom house on a quiet street in Yorktown Heights - a suburban relocation driven by the search for better schools, according to a 2018 article by The New York Times. In 2007, the congresswoman graduated from Yorktown High School before attending Boston University, where she studied economics and international relations—and briefly engaged with establishment politics - before returning to the Bronx. Once back in the borough, she began advocating for improved childhood education and literacy - and even launched a children's book publishing company aimed at portraying the Bronx in a more positive light. Despite criticism of her suburban roots, AOC has continued to lean into and defend her Bronx narrative, arguing that her time in Yorktown highlighted the stark disparities people face based on where they're born. 'It is nice. Growing up, it was a good town for working people,' she said in reference to Yorktown in a 2018 tweet. 'My mom scrubbed toilets so I could live here & I grew up seeing how the zip code one is born in determines much of their opportunity.' AOC's biography notes that she was born in the Parkchester neighborhood of the Bronx before her family moved north to Yorktown. 'Alexandria's mother was born and raised in Puerto Rico and worked throughout her childhood as a domestic worker,' her biography reads. 'Alexandria's father was a second-generation Bronxite, who ran a small business in The Bronx.' Throughout her childhood, Representative Ocasio-Cortez traveled regularly to The Bronx to spend time with her extended family,' it adds.
Yahoo
28-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
AOC's claimed Bronx identity called 'bold-face lie' by former schoolmate turned NY assemblyman
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's image as a tough Bronx native is being challenged by a New York lawmaker who revealed photos of her in his high school yearbook from Yorktown Heights, a suburb nearly an hour outside New York City. New York State GOP Assemblyman Matt Slater, now representing Yorktown, shared the images of a young Ocasio-Cortez earlier this week on X. In the post, Slater claimed he and the rising Democratic star attended Yorktown High School at the same time when she was a freshman and he was a senior. "Everybody in our community knows this is just a bold-face lie," said Slater on "Fox & Friends First" Friday. "She grew up in Yorktown, she was on my track team." Yorktown is a small town in northern Westchester, nearly an hour away from the Bronx. Slater described it as a "great suburban town" with a "touch of rural to it." Ocasio-Cortez graduated from the area's high school, whose mascot is a cornhusker, in 2007. Gop Assemblyman Calls Out Aoc's Suburban Roots With Yearbook Proof After Trump Spat While the congresswoman has spoken about her time in Westchester, her early years in the Bronx have become a vital part of her political brand. Read On The Fox News App Aoc's Constituents Weigh In On Presidential Run, Recall Her Stunning 2018 Political Upset Slater said he was moved to release the yearbook photo online during Rep. Ocasio-Cortez's latest public spat with President Donald Trump, in which she renewed her calls for impeachment over his decision to bypass Congress in authorizing U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear sites. The congresswoman wrote in part on X: "I'm a Bronx girl. You should know that we can eat Queens boys for breakfast. Respectfully," she said, referring to the president's upbringing in Queens. "I saw the attacks on the president and her [Ocasio-Cortez] claims that she's a big, tough Bronx girl," said Slater. "To sit there and say that she's a Bronx girl is just patently ridiculous." Aoc Claims 'We Are One' In Campaign-style Video Despite Years Of Invoking Race, Gender In Politics He added that Ocasio-Cortez's dismissal of her suburban upbringing is part of what he views as a larger "authenticity problem" in the Democratic Party. Aoc, Dems Called Out As 'Hypocrites' For Impeachment Talk Following Us Strikes On Iranian Nuclear Sites "She's lying about her background, she's lying about her upbringing," Slater claimed. He went on to call out other Democratic figures, like California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, as examples of politicians he feels have exaggerated aspects of their life for political gain. 'We Are One': Aoc Campaign Video Swirls 2028 Presidential Rumors "They do not connect with their voters if they [voters] actually know the truth about them," Slater argued. "This is just part of the big lie that they continue to peddle just to make sure that they win elections."Original article source: AOC's claimed Bronx identity called 'bold-face lie' by former schoolmate turned NY assemblyman
Fox News
28-06-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
AOC's claimed Bronx identity called 'bold-face lie' by former schoolmate turned NY assemblyman
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's image as a tough Bronx native is being challenged by a New York lawmaker who revealed photos of her in his high school yearbook from Yorktown Heights, a suburb nearly an hour outside New York City. New York State GOP Assemblyman Matt Slater, now representing Yorktown, shared the images of a young Ocasio-Cortez earlier this week on X. In the post, Slater claimed he and the rising Democratic star attended Yorktown High School at the same time when she was a freshman and he was a senior. "Everybody in our community knows this is just a bold-face lie," said Slater on "Fox & Friends First" Friday. "She grew up in Yorktown, she was on my track team." Yorktown is a small town in northern Westchester, nearly an hour away from the Bronx. Slater described it as a "great suburban town" with a "touch of rural to it." Ocasio-Cortez graduated from the area's high school, whose mascot is a cornhusker, in 2007. While the congresswoman has spoken about her time in Westchester, her early years in the Bronx have become a vital part of her political brand. Slater said he was moved to release the yearbook photo online during Rep. Ocasio-Cortez's latest public spat with President Donald Trump, in which she renewed her calls for impeachment over his decision to bypass Congress in authorizing U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear sites. The congresswoman wrote in part on X: "I'm a Bronx girl. You should know that we can eat Queens boys for breakfast. Respectfully," she said, referring to the president's upbringing in Queens. "I saw the attacks on the president and her [Ocasio-Cortez] claims that she's a big, tough Bronx girl," said Slater. "To sit there and say that she's a Bronx girl is just patently ridiculous." He added that Ocasio-Cortez's dismissal of her suburban upbringing is part of what he views as a larger "authenticity problem" in the Democratic Party. "She's lying about her background, she's lying about her upbringing," Slater claimed. He went on to call out other Democratic figures, like California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, as examples of politicians he feels have exaggerated aspects of their life for political gain. "They do not connect with their voters if they [voters] actually know the truth about them," Slater argued. "This is just part of the big lie that they continue to peddle just to make sure that they win elections."
