Sorry, still rushed for time so it's a little lopsided and incomplete.
"California is poised to set a 2035 deadline for all new cars, trucks and SUVs sold in the state to be powered by electricity or hydrogen, an ambitious step that will reshape the U.S. car market by speeding the transition to more climate-friendly vehicles." I've been watching this market, specifically for electric mopeds and motorcycles and there has been a tremendous change in the last year. Before now, the best (non-toy, road certified) electric bikes have been $15-32,000. Now there are moderately good models from $7-15,000 if you need something highway certified and around $2,000 if you have a city commute (speeds up to 35mph, 40 mile range). While the front runner for the moderate bikes (Sondors Metacycle) have just started shipping they also had to raise their prices from about $6,000 for fully delivered to $6,500 full-delivered (which is down from their initial price hike), the top end (HD LiveWire) has come down from $32,000 to an entry model at $22,800. Frankly, I love the original LiveWire (styling and specifications, it was to electric motorcycles what the Lightning is to the car EV market, expensive, but the way it should be done), but if I still had the daytime design job I would have already put down money for the Metacycle (price is on par with an entry 500cc motorcycle, although performance and range is less, but still more than I would need for a commute or casual joy riding).
"Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will accelerate the world’s shift to renewable energy because of price shocks in oil and gas, a U.S. climate envoy said Thursday."
"Years late and billions over budget, NASA’s new moon rocket makes its debut next week in a high-stakes test flight before astronauts get on top… The 322-foot (98-meter) rocket will attempt to send an empty crew capsule into a far-flung lunar orbit, 50 years after NASA’s famed Apollo moonshots."
"A coalition of environmental groups sued the Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday over its refusal to regulate some older coal ash dumps, claiming they are polluting air and groundwater."
"Scientists have created 'synthetic' mouse embryos from stem cells without a dad’s sperm or a mom’s egg or womb… The lab-created embryos mirror a natural mouse embryo up to (8.5) days after fertilization, containing the same structures, including one like a beating heart."
"A federal appeals court on Thursday said Arkansas can’t enforce its ban on transgender children receiving gender affirming medical care… A three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a judge’s ruling temporarily blocking the state from enforcing the 2021 law. A trial is scheduled in October before the same judge on whether to permanently block the law."
"A federal ruling that gender dysphoria is covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act could help block conservative political efforts to restrict access to gender-affirming care, advocates and experts say… A panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last week became the first federal appellate court in the country to find that the 1990 landmark federal law protects transgender people who experience anguish and other symptoms as a result of the disparity between their assigned sex and their gender identity."
"On a hot, humid East Coast day this summer, a massive container ship pulled into the Port of Baltimore loaded with sheets of plywood, aluminum rods and radioactive material – all sourced from the fields, forests and factories of Russia."
"During the nearly three-hour service, Ferreira praises Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and displays photos of himself alongside the right-wing leader on a giant screen displayed behind the altar… Later, in an interview with NPR, he says evangelicals are drawn to Bolsonaro because he promotes conservative family values and opposes abortion and same-sex marriage."
"EU lawmakers have a new, post-Brexit reason to be annoyed with Britain: British sewage overflows seeping into the English Channel and North Sea… Heavy rainfall after weeks of dry weather overwhelmed parts of Britain’s sewage system last week, causing untreated wastewater to be discharged into rivers and seas. The problem is a long-running issue in Britain, where regulators are investigating possible permit violations by six major water companies and environmental groups allege the firms have failed to make needed repairs."
"Many brought their own sack lunches this school year, because unlike the last two, not every child is eligible for free meals provided by the school… During the pandemic, schools were able to provide meals for free to kids regardless of income as a part of COVID-19 assistance passed by Congress to reduce food insecurity. This meant that nationally, an estimated 10 million kids who would have previously paid for school meals were able to get them free. But Congress did not agree to provide universal free lunches for a third school year."
"A federal judge this week sided with a student at Cleveland State University in Ohio, who alleged that a room scan taken before his online test as a proctoring measure was unconstitutional."
"Pete Arredondo, the police chief in charge of the law enforcement response to the May 24 shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, has been fired… After a nearly 90-minute termination hearing held behind closed doors Wednesday evening, the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District's board voted unanimously to terminate Arredondo's contract effective immediately. They also found there was good cause for him not to receive pay for the time he was on unpaid administrative leave since July 19."
"A jury on Tuesday convicted two men of conspiring to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2020, in a plot prosecutors described as a rallying cry for a U.S. civil war by anti-government extremists… The jury also found Adam Fox and Barry Croft Jr. guilty of conspiring to obtain a weapon of mass destruction, namely a bomb to blow up a bridge and stymie police if the kidnapping could be pulled off at Whitmer's vacation home."
"Democrat and longtime politician Charlie Crist has won the primary for governor in Florida and will face Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis in November, according to a race call by The Associated Press."
"Progressive activist Maxwell Frost, one of the first members of Generation Z to run for Congress, has won his Democratic primary, according to a race call by The Associated Press… Frost's win nearly secures his path to Congress since the Orlando-based seat is considered a solidly Democratic district. Frost will face off against Republican Calvin Wimbish in November."
"President Biden believes that a post-high school education should be a ticket to a middle-class life, but for too many, the cost of borrowing for college is a lifelong burden that deprives them of that opportunity. During the campaign, he promised to provide student debt relief. Today, the Biden Administration is following through on that promise and providing families breathing room as they prepare to start re-paying loans after the economic crisis brought on by the pandemic." The fact sheet from the White House. While most news reports (and public commentary) are focusing on the $10-$20,000 forgiveness sums (which will eliminate debt for 20 million people), the parts about changing how the PSLF program works and how income is calculated for the income related repayment plans (plus covering interest that isn't met by the minimum payments) and then cancelling debt after 20 years of repayment is the real story here. The rules about keeping down tuition increases I can't talk about (because they haven't been written yet), but that is also huge if it works. It isn't the jubilee some were looking for, but damn that's a great deal.
"The increasingly pointed and personal barbs come as Oz is trailing Fetterman in polls in the November matchup that could help decide Senate control. Democrats see the contest to succeed retiring Republican Sen. Pat Toomey as among their best opportunities nationally to pick up a seat… Fetterman’s latest high-profile trolling of Oz on social media has focused on Oz’s effort to spotlight the country’s high inflation by shopping for 'crudités' — raw vegetables cut up and served as an hors d’oeuvre — in a state with cities that pride themselves on cheesesteaks and pierogies, potato-filled dumplings." The "crudité" video was hilarious, getting the store name wrong, buying asparagus for raw vegetables, and asking if there was a salsa shortage after showing the shelf packed with salsa. Not to mention the store saying they repeatedly told Oz and his crew that prepared vegetable trays were available for about half of what Oz had added up.
"The judge presiding over a special grand jury that’s investigating possible illegal attempts to influence the 2020 election in Georgia is wading into a fight over whether Gov. Brian Kemp has to testify before the panel."
"The Justice Department on Wednesday released a memo from 2019 laying out the case for not prosecuting former President Donald Trump for obstruction of justice in connection with then-special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation."
"The Justice Department on Thursday submitted to a judge a redacted version of the affidavit it relied on when it federal agents searched the Florida estate of former President Donald Trump to look for classified documents."
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