Heads Up: Where To Watch Two Eclipses in August

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Heads Up: Where To Watch Two Eclipses in August (Maria)

The author writes, “The 2026 astronomical calendar features only four eclipses. But August is a bounty of riches, with two set to occur. They include a full solar eclipse on August 12 and a partial lunar eclipse on August 27 and 28. Catch one — or both — if you can; they’ll be the last ones of the year.”

The Latest Trend for Lawmakers Seeking To Rein in Trump: Let Everyone Sue the Feds (Reader Steve)

From the San Francisco Chronicle: “As the war between California and the Trump administration continues to rage, California lawmakers are increasingly trying to carve out ways for residents to seek justice that either bypass the federal government or even challenge it directly. ‘If a local or state police officer uses excessive force, you can sue and get compensation. If a federal agent engages in the same behavior, it’s almost impossible to sue’ under current law, said state Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco. Wiener introduced legislation in September that would allow residents to sue federal employees for violating constitutional rights. His bill, SB747, is being weighed in the state Assembly, and a handful of states — New York, Illinois, Maryland, Connecticut and Vermont — have passed similar laws.”

The Last Day of a Factory in Trump Country, as Its Work Moves to China (Russ)

The author writes, “For 40 years, six days a week, Joe Klima rose before dawn in the same house on Barbara Drive and drove about a mile to the same factory, which produced some of the world’s finest tubas, French horns and sousaphones in a small city northeast of Cleveland. His routine stayed more or less the same through seven presidents, four recessions and several American wars in the Middle East. … But in the small hours of June 30, he lay awake in bed. A little before 5 a.m., he rose and packed his lunch. Ahead of Klima was his last shift at the Conn Selmer plant in Eastlake, Ohio — everyone’s last shift, because the factory was closing.”

Mitch McConnell Is Never Coming Back to the Senate (Sean)

From Salon: “They must have hoped the photos would dispel conspiracy theories that he’s dead, or at least incapacitated. But the two proof-of-life pictures taken of Sen. Mitch McConnell and his wife, former Labor Secretary Elaine Chao, purportedly from his room at a rehabilitation center, have only generated more speculation about what has really happened to the 84-year-old Kentucky Republican, who hasn’t been seen or spoken in public since being hospitalized in mid-June. In both pictures, the typically sharp-minded senator is staring with a vacant smile at the camera, while the 73-year-old Chao has a firm grip on his arm that reads less as affection and more like direction.”

‘Cancer Doesn’t Care What Party You Belong To’: Poisoned Water Is Turning This Rural State Bluer (Laura)

From Politico: “Iowa has a long-simmering water problem that has finally begun to boil over — and it’s changing Iowa politics. People are angry and worried about the quality of the state’s water, the health risks it poses and its increasingly undeniable tie to the state’s signature industry: agriculture. In recent years, Iowa’s cancer rate has climbed significantly above the U.S. average. It now stands as the nation’s second highest, and Iowa is one of only three states where the rate is rising. The situation has put a spotlight on nitrates, which are linked to a growing body of science to kidney, brain and ovarian cancer. Nitrates are a key component in the deluge of chemical pesticides and fertilizers used by the state’s farmers, some of which washes off farm fields and into waterways.”

How Michigan Became the Most Expensive Democratic Primary Ever (Dana)

From Mother Jones: “[This] Tuesday’s contest in Michigan between Abdul El-Sayed and Rep. Haley Stevens holds a dubious distinction: No Democratic congressional primary in history has ever attracted so much super PAC cash. The overwhelming majority of the outside money has gone toward ensuring that Stevens, a moderate, pro-Israel Democrat, defeats El-Sayed, a Bernie Sanders-endorsed champion of Medicare for All and Israel critic. More than $60 million of outside spending has poured into the Senate contest, according to records from the Federal Election Commission and the Federal Communications Commission. The vast majority has come from super PACs that — unlike El-Sayed’s and Stevens’ own campaigns — can accept unlimited donations.”

Scientists Say This Algae Could Remove Microplastics From Drinking Water (Mili)

The author writes, “Researchers created a special kind of algae that can grab microscopic plastic pollution out of water almost like a magnet. The algae produce limonene, an orange-scented oil that helps them bind to water-repelling microplastics, forming easy-to-remove clumps. As a bonus, the algae also clean wastewater while growing.”