North Carolina GOP legislators voted on May 15, 2024, to “ban anyone from wearing masks in public, even for health reasons,” The Hill reported (read story here). Their bill also repeals a law adopted during the pandemic that “allows people to wear masks in public for health and saf[...]
Author Archive
Money can’t buy love or elections
Money can’t buy love, and sometimes not elections, either. Increasingly, Congress is a preserve of the very rich, with more candidates self-funding campaigns (see story here). Retail liquor magnate David Trone is an example of the breed. When Trone ran in Maryland for a House seat in 2016, he spe[...]
May 15th, 2024 - 2:44 am § in Environment
2023 was hot Hot HOT
Scientists use tree rings, ice cores, and coral reefs to reconstruct Earth’s climate history because they act as time capsules. A tree-ring study published in Nature, a scientific journal, on May 14, 2024, concluded 2023 was the warmest year in “at least” 2,000 years (read CNN stor[...]
May 14th, 2024 - 11:24 pm § in Misc.
Seattle police entry pay hits six figures
The Seattle City Council approved a contract with the Seattle police union on May 14, 2024, that bumps starting pay from $83,000 to $103,000, with a raise to $110,000 after six months, the Seattle Times reported (story here). Existing officers will get retroactive raises for 2021-23 as a lump sum pa[...]
May 14th, 2024 - 8:56 pm § in Donald Trump, Law and Courts
How big a deal is Trump’s “hush money” trial?
For starters, this is a criminal trial and a conviction could land him behind bars. Trump, with a loyal following of millions, is betting he’s too important to lock up. He might be right. Any other defendant behaving like he has would’ve been jailed for contempt by now. He has behaved like a str[...]
Alabama law punishes employers friendly to unions
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey (photo, left) signed a law penalizing employers in her state who accept unions, Huffington Post reported on Tuesday, May 14, 2024 (read story here). It yanks state economic incentives, grants, loans, and tax credits away from any company that recognizes a union instead of forci[...]
GOP veep hopeful wants to eliminate no-fault divorce
Ben Carson (photo, left), a celebrity surgeon turned failed politician (see bio here) and possible 2024 Trump running mate, wants to end no-fault divorce, NBC News reported on Tuesday, May 14, 2024 (read story here). “For the sake of families,” he says. His shtick is that if divorcing is eas[...]
May 14th, 2024 - 2:30 am § in Misc.
Dreamcatcher (video)
Surreal rock climbing at Squamish, B.C., set to perfect music. 6½ minutes. Return to The-Ave.US Home Page[...]
J. D. Vance hedges on 2024 election denial
Ohio isn’t really a purple state. Although one of its U.S. senators is a Democrat, its governor and two-thirds of its House delegation are Republicans, and Trump easily won the state in 2020 and is expected to repeat in 2024. J. D. Vance (photo, left), Ohio’s Republican junior senator, e[...]
Kristi Noem caught in 2nd false boast
George Santos isn’t the only Republican who embellishes his resume. Politicians writing books (actually, having one ghostwritten) is a common practice. The books can make a lot of money, but mainly they serve as campaign posters, drawing attention to a politician seeking a promotion. Typically[...]