Cars

EcoWatch-  In its new Global EV Outlook 2024, the International Energy Agency said electric vehicle sales will reach 17 million this year — up from 14 million in 2023.  In 2024, EVs are projected to make up roughly one out of nine cars sold in the United States, one in four in Europe and 45 percent of total car sales in China, an IEA press release said... More than one-fifth of cars sold globally in 2024 are predicted to be electric, with growing demand set to substantially reduce oil consumption used for road transportation over the coming decade, the press release said.

Schools

AP News -  A movement to ban book bans is gaining steam in Minnesota and several other states, in contrast to the trend playing out in more conservative states where book challenges have soared to their highest levels in decades.  The move to quash book bans is welcome to people like Shae Ross, a queer and out Minnesota high school senior who has fought on the local level against bans on books dealing with sexuality, gender and race. Ross, 18, said she is encouraged to see her governor and leaders of other states are taking the fight statewide. ...Minnesota is one of several Democratic-leaning states where lawmakers are now pursuing bans on book bans. The Washington and Maryland legislatures have already passed them this year, while Illinois did so last year. It was a major flashpoint of Oregon’s short session, where legislation passed the Senate but died without a House vote....

According to the American Library Association, over 4,200 works in school and public libraries were targeted in 2023, a jump from the old record of nearly 2,600 books in 2022. Many challenged books — 47% in 2023 — had LGBTQ+ and racial themes. Restrictions in some states have increased so much that librarians and administrators fear crippling lawsuits, hefty fines and even imprisonment if they provide books that others regard as inappropriate. Already this year, lawmakers in more than 15 states have introduced bills to impose harsh penalties on libraries or librarians.

Meanwhile. . .

 Study Finds - Chocolate, the beloved treat that brings joy to millions, is facing a world-changing threat. A rapidly spreading virus is attacking the cacao trees that provide the essential ingredient for our favorite indulgence, putting the global chocolate supply at risk..... The cacao swollen shoot virus disease  is a devastating pathogen that can cause harvest losses of 15 to 50 percent in affected cacao trees. The virus is spread by small insects called mealybugs, which feed on the leaves, buds, and flowers of the trees. The impact is particularly severe in West Africa, where about half of the world’s chocolate originates. In Ghana alone, more than 254 million cacao trees have been lost in recent years due to this virus.

TikTok

AP News - Many opponents of the TikTok measure argue the best way to protect U.S. consumers is through implementing a federal data privacy law that targets all companies regardless of their origin. They also note the U.S. has not provided public evidence that shows TikTok sharing U.S. user information with Chinese authorities, or that Chinese officials have ever tinkered with its algorithm.

Environment

CNN -  Nearly 40% of people in the US live with unhealthy air pollution, according to a new report from the American Lung Association. That amounts to 131 million people living with levels of polluted air that can significantly affect their health — up from 119 million in last year's data. Extreme heat, drought and wildfires are among the factors that have contributed to the increase, especially in the Western part of the country. Several cities in the region, including Los Angeles, Phoenix and Denver also received "F" grades for ozone smog, according to the report. Ozone pollution is formed from emissions from cars, power plants and refineries.

Trump

Daily Beast - Donald Trump’s legal payroll is easily the largest and most diverse of any political figure in modern U.S. history. But while most of the attorneys that Trump’s various fundraising committees have paid over the years are a matter of public record, one of the top recipients still poses a mystery—with more than $8 million in legal costs going to an unknown firm, or firms, through what appears to be a corporate intermediary. Legal experts told The Daily Beast that the arrangement masks the true recipients of a significant amount of Trump’s legal bills, depriving the public of that information while possibly running afoul of federal law. And the unprecedented structure of those payments, the experts said, potentially violates the ban on corporate contributions. 

For the last 15 months, five of Trump’s political committees, including his 2024 campaign, have paid about $8 million in combined legal costs to a curious recipient: Red Curve Solutions, the firm that handles their political accounting. That total makes Red Curve, a prominent Republican compliance firm, the largest single recipient of Trump’s legal payouts since he left office... The Red Curve payments, however, are not described as being for legal services that the firm provides directly. In fact, Red Curve’s website does not advertise legal services, and Federal Election Commission filings show that only one other federal committee has ever paid the company for legal work—and that was more than a decade ago.

Ukraine

NBC News -The news of the aid package finally passing Congress has offered Ukraine some relief and renewed hope of victory, with the war now in its third year. But in the streets and trenches, those who spoke with NBC News espoused a view shared by many Western military analysts: That much damage had already been done and that the billions of dollars in supplies would only go so far to resolving Ukraine’s problems. 

Planes

 NPR - The U.S. Department of Transportation has announced new regulations aimed at cracking down on airlines that charge steep fees to check bags and change flights. Airlines must show the full price of travel before customers check out and provide prompt refunds for canceled flights.

NBC News - A federal rule announced today will require airlines to quickly give cash refunds — without lengthy arguments — to passengers whose flights have been canceled or seriously delayed, the Biden administration said.

Workers

NPR -  The Federal Trade Commission yesterday banned nearly all noncompete agreements. These employment agreements bar workers from taking new jobs with a competitor or starting a competing company. An estimated 30 million Americans are bound by these agreements, according to the FTC. It predicts the policy could lead to increased wages totaling nearly $300 billion per year by encouraging people to swap jobs freely. The ban, which will go into effect later this year, includes an exception for existing noncompetes for senior executives.

AI election fraud

 Roll Call - After 20,000 or more New Hampshire voters received a call with the artificial-intelligence-doctored voice of President Joe Biden asking them to skip the state’s primary in January, state officials were in a quandary. Attorney General John M. Formella launched an investigation alongside others into the robocall that urged recipients to “save your vote for the November election,” ultimately identifying a Texas-based organization as the culprit. But New Hampshire lawmakers who say simply identifying the origins of these deepfakes isn’t enough are backing legislation that would prohibit them within 90 days of an election unless they’re accompanied by a disclosure stating that AI was used. New Hampshire is now one of at least 39 states considering measures that would add transparency to AI-generated deepfake ads or calls as political campaigns intensify ahead of the November presidential election. The state’s measure passed in the House but not the Senate.

Health

MedicalXpress - Researchers at Huazhong University of Science and Technology in China recently carried out a study investigating the potential link between long-term exposure to green spaces in proximity of one's home and two of the most common mental health disorders: depression and anxiety. Their findings, published in Nature Mental Health, suggest that living close to parks and green areas can reduce the risk of becoming depressed and experiencing anxiety. "Our research interest is environmental epidemiology, which mainly focuses on the impacts of environmental exposure, such as greenery and air pollutants, on human health," Yaohua Tian, co-author of the paper, told Medical Xpress. "There seems to be a consensus regarding green space on the fact that greenness can reduce stress and improve mood. However, this was just an idea rooted in our minds, and we were not clear about whether there is scientific evidence to support it."

Trump

Independent -  The judge overseeing Donald Trump’s criminal trial in New York appeared unconvinced with his attorney’s defence against allegations that the former president repeatedly and willfully violated a gag order that prevents him from attacking witnesses. Manhattan prosecutors have accused Mr Trump of at least 10 different posts on his Truth Social platform and campaign website targeting Michael Cohen and Stormy Daniels – likely witnesses in the so-called hush money trial underway in a Manhattan courtroom.

Defence attorney Todd Blanche has argued that Mr Trump’s posts were responding to “political” attacks but failed to offer up any examples of what, exactly, Mr Trump was responding to.

“You presented nothing,” New York Justice Juan Merchan, growing increasingly frustrated with Mr Blanche’s defence, said at the conclusion of an hour-long hearing on Tuesday. “You’re losing all credibility, I’ll tell you that right now,” he added

Jon Cooper -  Not a single member of Trump’s family — not Melania, not Ivanka, not Don Jr, not Eric, not Tiffany — has bothered to show up at his criminal trial to show their support.

AP News - Donald Trump tried to illegally influence the 2016 presidential election by preventing damaging stories about his personal life from becoming public, a prosecutor told jurors Monday at the start of the former president’s historic hush money trial. “This was a planned, long-running conspiracy to influence the 2016 election, to help Donald Trump get elected through illegal expenditures to silence people who had something bad to say about his behavior,” prosecutor Matthew Colangelo said. “It was election fraud, pure and simple.” A defense lawyer countered by assailing the case as baseless and attacking the integrity of the onetime Trump confidant who’s now the government’s star witness. “President Trump is innocent. President Trump did not commit any crimes. The Manhattan district attorney’s office should never have brought this case,” attorney Todd Blanche said.

Polling update

 2024 PRESIDENTIAL RACE: BIDEN VS. TRUMP
Most recent five poll average: Biden leads by 1% ... Last June: Tie

2024 RACE: BIDEN VS TRUMP & OTHERS
Most recent five poll average: Biden leads by 1% a first for him

BIDEN APPROVAL RATING  Most recent five poll average 42%  - 7% below 2023 high, 3% above 2023 low

TRUMP APPROVAL RATING: Most recent five poll average 42%, Tied with Biden

Meanwhile. . .

 67% of adults say they drank coffee in the past day.

Politics

Joe Biden Has Stunning 9-Point Lead Over Donald Trump Among Actual Voters

New York voters support ranked choice voting by a margin of greater than 2 to 1 in new poll

Republicans Are Suing for the Right To Harass Election Workers

NBC News - Pennsylvania primaries: A key contest in the fight for control of the Senate, a moderate Republican put to the test and a district where the war in Gaza is front and center. Here’s what to watch for in the Pennsylvania primaries.

Money

VIA David Doney

 

USA Facts

 

Word

Cartoons & Jokes