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Last Total Solar Eclipse for Decades Expected To Be Even More Jaw-Dropping (Maria)
The author writes, “The upcoming total solar eclipse on April 8 is expected to be a rare event thanks to the sun being more active, a solar physicist told Newsweek. The celestial phenomenon in April, which will pass over a vast majority of the United States, Mexico and Canada, coincides with the peak of a solar maximum when the sun is exceptionally active, according to forecasters with NASA and the US National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). … Scott McIntosh, a solar physicist with NCAR, told Newsweek in an interview on Sunday night that the solar eclipse in April will be an ‘incredible’ event because of all that activity.”
US Historians Sign Brief To Support Colorado’s Removal of Trump From Ballot (Reader Jim)
The author writes, “Twenty-five historians of the civil war and Reconstruction filed a US supreme court brief in support of the attempt by Colorado to remove Donald Trump from the ballot under the 14th amendment, which bars insurrectionists from running for office. ‘For historians,’ the group wrote, ‘contemporary evidence from the decision-makers who sponsored, backed, and voted for the 14th amendment [ratified in 1868] is most probative. Analysis of this evidence demonstrates that decision-makers crafted section three to cover the president and to create an enduring check on insurrection, requiring no additional action from Congress.’”
The Real Border Crisis: Texas vs. the Constitution (Gerry)
From FAIR: “The United States is on the verge of a constitutional crisis, one that enlivens the nationalist fervor of Trump America and that centers on a violent, racist closed-border policy. In January, the Supreme Court, with a five-vote majority that included both Republican and Democratic appointees, ruled that federal agents can ‘remove the razor wire that Texas state officials have set up along some sections of the US/Mexico border’ to make immigration more dangerous (CBS, 1/23/24). The state’s extreme border policy is not merely immoral as an idea, but has proven to be deadly and torturous in practice (USA Today, 8/3/23; NBC, 1/14/24; Texas Observer, 1/17/24). In a statement (1/22/24), Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton decried the decision, saying that it ‘allows Biden to continue his illegal effort to aid the foreign invasion of America.’”
Connecticut Says It Will Become First State to Cancel Medical Debt for Many Residents (Sean)
The author writes, “Connecticut will cancel roughly $650 million in medical debt for an estimated 250,000 residents this year, Gov. Ned Lamont announced Friday, saying it is the first state to provide this type of relief. The effort will liberate many residents from ‘the cloud’ over their heads and give them more freedom to buy a home, start a business or continue with their education, Lamont told CNN. That will help them strengthen their financial standing in a state with a large wealth gap.”
How Israel’s Flooding of Gaza’s Tunnels Will Impact Freshwater Supply (Mili)
From Al Jazeera: “Israel confirmed this week that its troops are pumping seawater into a network of tunnels in Gaza, a method environmentalists say could violate international law and cause dire, long-term consequences in the besieged Palestinian enclave.”
A Fossil Fuel Miseducation (Laura)
From Lever News: “How an oil and gas organization in Illinois is promoting misinformation in schools.”
Indian Police Clear a Suspected Chinese Spy Pigeon After 8 Months in Bird Lockup (Dana)
The author writes, “Indian police cleared a suspected Chinese spy pigeon after eight months’ detention and released it into the wild Tuesday, news agency Press Trust of India reported. The pigeon’s ordeal began in May when it was captured near a port in Mumbai with two rings tied to its legs, carrying words that looked like Chinese. Police suspected it was involved in espionage and took it in, later sending it to Mumbai’s Bai Sakarbai Dinshaw Petit Hospital for Animals. Eventually, it turned out the pigeon was an open-water racing bird from Taiwan that had escaped and made its way to India.”
