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Parliament’s liberals set out to ‘save’ struggling EU nature law

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:15:59 GMT

BRUSSELS — The leader of the European Parliament’s liberal Renew Europe group said he will try to rescue a key chunk of the Green Deal that was nearly struck down amid fierce pushback by conservative lawmakers.Three Parliament committees, including the crucial environment committee, rejected the Commission’s proposal to restore 20 percent of degraded habitats this decade, and lawmakers could sign its death warrant at a plenary in Strasbourg in mid-July.Stéphane Séjourné, a top French MEP, told POLITICO in an interview that he will propose a compromise text that will be “a way to save the law.”“We’re going to take the lead in the heart of my group to propose a new, more balanced version which guarantees the unity of my group and at the same time can convince the [center-right European People’s Party] and [the Socialists & Democrats] to possibly find a majority on this text,” he said.He gave few hints about what could truly differ in his version ...

Editorial: Student loan debt decision a win for taxpayers

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:15:59 GMT

The Supreme Court taught college students and grads a harsh fiscal lesson on Friday: When you take out a loan, you have to pay it back.As reported, a once-again divided Supreme Court iced President Joe Biden’s plan to cancel or reduce federal student loan debts for millions of Americans.The 6–3 decision, with conservative justices in the majority, said the Biden administration overstepped its authority with the plan to forgive up to $20,000 in student loan debt. Borrowers have to resume payments in the fall.Reactions from the progressive politicians who pushed this plan were as expected:  Sen. Elizabeth Warren tweeted “More than 40 million hard working Americans are waiting for the help that President Biden promised them, and they expect this administration to throw everything they’ve got into the fight until they make good on this commitment.”Then there’s this post from Rep. Jim McGovern: “It’s no surprise that the same corrupt majority on the Supreme Court ...

Walker: EPA power plant rule will stifle energy supply

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:15:59 GMT

Last month, the Environmental Protection Agency came out with new power plant regulations, perhaps the most ambitious effort yet, to roll back “planet warming pollution.” This is on the heels of the Clean Power Plan’s failure to hold up in court last year, with the Supreme Court ruling that the act does not give the EPA broad authority to regulate emissions from plants. The CPP would have substantially restructured the American energy market.Is this new rule just the CPP wrapped in different packaging?Proponents of the new regulations are continuing the war on coal and want to shut down the fossil fuel industry, which produces 60% of the nation’s electricity.According to the new regulations, fossil fuel plants must cut their emissions by 90% between 2035 and 2040 — or shut down. They would have to turn to technology known as “carbon capture sequestration” (CCS). This process has yet to be proven successful. The only CCS project on American soil failed and closed, even after receivin...

Franks: False abortion law claims used for political gain

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:15:59 GMT

Recently we marked the first anniversary of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization landmark decision that overturned Roe v. Wade, which I applaud. The Supreme Court ordered a return of the power to regulate all aspects of abortions to individual states.Thus, electing more Democrats or Republicans to Congress or the White House would make no difference on this issue. Decisions must be made by each state’s legislature. To do otherwise would clearly be unconstitutional.Another option is to change the constitution with an amendment. That is it.So, why do politicians make promises they know they cannot fulfill? I hope I do not seem cynical with this question, but at times blunt remarks are necessary.We have had an election turn on this falsehood (that members of Congress can now change abortion laws). I can see these same politicians seeking to repeat this fallacy to gain advantage in the 2024 elections and that is of grave concern to me.The election results of 2022 should have...

Why music stars want Lisa Fischer singing backup

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:15:59 GMT

She was just packing up for her tour last week when the call came to make a record with Jackson Browne. Such is life for Lisa Fischer, who’s one of the pop world’s most renowned backing singers when she’s not out as a frontwoman.A standout in the movie “20 Feet From Stardom,” Fischer has proven a compatible match for some of the most iconic singers there are, including Tina Turner, Aretha Franklin and the Rolling Stones. So when Browne invited her to sing, she knew what to do.“Usually what I do is down to the person who calls,” she said. “With Jackson, he was so sweet and he sent me this beautiful demo of him singing the song and playing guitar. And that gave me a week to become like a biscuit in the gravy of his music. You have to keep an open mind, because it’s a song that hasn’t been done yet. And he’s such a storyteller that his music shifts every time he tells a different story; this one was about a woman who’s a drummer. We ended up singing it through together — You end ...

Dear Abby: Lunch group’s driver a menace on the road

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:15:59 GMT

Dear Abby: My co-workers and I go out to lunch once a week. We used to take turns driving, but one co-worker is so genuinely thrilled to drive that over the last year we let her do all of it. Abby, she’s NOT a good driver. She hits the curbs making turns, and one time she hit another car in the parking lot because she wasn’t able to turn into the adjacent parking space correctly.Until recently, these incidents have been more embarrassing than worrisome, but yesterday she pulled out into traffic without checking for oncoming cars and we were nearly T-boned by a van that had the right-of-way. Her response? “Well! He didn’t brake for me at ALL!”She’s a nice lady; none of us wants to hurt her feelings, but we no longer feel safe with her behind the wheel. Her biggest problem seems to be that she wants to chat with everyone while she’s driving. She gets distracted by the conversation and doesn’t focus on the task at hand.How can we nicely t...

San Diego Girl Scout honored after saving father's life

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:15:59 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A seventh grade Girl Scout is being recognized as a hero after jumping into action and saving her father during an emergency at home.Cadette Girl Scout Amelia Umstadter performed CPR and called for her mother when her father, Karl Umstadter, experienced a choking incident and fall that left him unconscious, Girl Scouts San Diego said in a press release Thursday.Her mother, Anna Umstadter, was able to then call 9-1-1 while Amelia continued with CPR until her father began breathing and first responders arrived, according to officials.Girl Scouts San Diego says her quick actions saved her father's life, who escaped with only minor injuries. Woman gets into housing after more than a decade living on street “I learned first aid skills during a class at school and with Encinitas Junior Lifeguards,” Amelia said. “After going through this, my mom and I took the Girl Scouts San Diego First Aid course and are now CPR certified. I told my troop to also take the class, and I want...

Affirmative action for white people? Legacy college admissions come under renewed scrutiny

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:15:59 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The next big fight over college admissions already has taken hold, and it centers on a different kind of minority group that gets a boost: children of alumni.In the wake of a Supreme Court decision that strikes down affirmative action in admissions, colleges are coming under renewed pressure to put an end to legacy preferences — the practice of favoring applicants with family ties to alumni. Long seen as a perk for the white and wealthy, opponents say it’s no longer defensible in a world with no counterbalance in affirmative action.President Joe Biden suggested colleges should rethink the practice after the court’s ruling, saying legacy preferences “expand privilege instead of opportunity.” Several Democrats in Congress demanded an end to the policy in light of the court’s decision to remove race from the admissions process. So did Republicans including Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, who is vying for the GOP presidential nomination.“Let’s be clear: affirmative a...

As if air travel isn’t hard enough, 5G wireless signals could disrupt flights starting this weekend

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:15:59 GMT

Airline passengers who have endured tens of thousands of weather-related flight delays this week could face a new source of disruptions starting Saturday, when wireless providers are expected to power up new 5G systems near major airports.Aviation groups have warned for years that 5G signals could interfere with aircraft equipment, especially devices using radio waves to measure distance above the ground and which are critical when planes land in low visibility.Predictions that interference would cause massive flight groundings failed to come true last year, when telecom companies began rolling out the new service. They then agreed to limit the power of the signals around busy airports, giving airlines an extra year to upgrade their planes.The leader of the nation’s largest pilots’ union said crews will be able to handle the impact of 5G, but he criticized the way the wireless licenses were granted, saying it had added unnecessary risk to aviation.Transportation Secretar...

The Supreme Court just issued its biggest rulings of the year. Here’s what you need to know.

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:15:59 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court just finished issuing its biggest decisions of the term, killing President Joe Biden’s $400 billion plan to cancel or reduce federal student loan debts, ending affirmative action in higher education and issuing a major decision that impacts gay rights. The decisions over the past week cap off a term that began in October in which the justices also considered big issues involving voting rights and religion.The court will next meet in the fall to resume hearing cases. Here are a number of things to know about the Supreme Court’s most recent term:THERE WERE SURPRISESThe court has a solid six-justice conservative majority but ultimately issued some decisions in which the most conservative position did not win. That surprised some court watchers.In four major cases, conservative and liberal justices joined to reject the most aggressive legal arguments advanced by conservative state elected officials and advocacy groups. Those included decis...