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Young People Are Worried About Climate Change — And It Could Affect Life Plans (Maria)
The author writes, “More than four in five young Americans are worried about the impact of climate change on people and the planet, according to a survey of nearly 16,000 youths published in Lancet Planetary Health on Thursday. Most respondents do not believe governments are doing enough to reduce emissions. … As this group of 16- to 25-year-olds enters the workforce, there’s some indication those feelings will affect big life decisions — such as where to live, whether to have kids and what to do for work.”
Doomsday and Democracy: Former Trump Aides Warn of Secret Presidential Crisis Powers (Gerry)
From Time: “Locked away in a classified safe on the White House grounds is a stack of papers crafted over decades with the hope that no one would ever use them. It lists the extraordinary powers a President may be authorized to use in the event of a nuclear attack or other massive catastrophe. Among the select few who have been granted access to the nation’s most closely held secrets, the pages are known as the Presidential Emergency Action Documents, or PEADs. Some simply call it the ‘Doomsday Book.’ … Now some former Trump advisors are raising the alarm about the dangers of Trump having access to the Doomsday Book in a second term.”
No Country Still Uses an Electoral College — Except the US (Reader Jim)
From The Conversation: “The United States is the only democracy in the world where a presidential candidate can get the most popular votes and still lose the election. Thanks to the Electoral College, that has happened five times in the country’s history. The most recent examples are from 2000, when Al Gore won the popular vote but George W. Bush won the Electoral College after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling, and 2016, when Hillary Clinton got more votes nationwide than Donald Trump but lost in the Electoral College.”
‘Off The Charts’: How Trump Tariffs Would Shock US, World Economies (Dana)
From The Washington Post: “Former president Donald Trump is campaigning on the most significant increase in tariffs in close to a century, preparing an attack on the international trade order that would likely raise prices, hurt the stock market and spark economic feuds with much of the world. … The consequences would be far-reaching: Americans would be hit by higher prices for grocery staples from abroad, such as fruit, vegetables and coffee. Domestic firms dependent on imports would need to either figure out new supply chains or raise costs for consumers. U.S. manufacturers would almost certainly see sharp declines in orders from abroad as foreign nations impose retaliatory tariffs.”
US Agency Adopts Rule To Make It Easier for Consumers to Cancel Unwanted Subscriptions (DonkeyHotey)
The author writes, “The Federal Trade Commission adopted a final rule Wednesday that will require businesses to make it easy for consumers to cancel unwanted subscriptions and memberships. The ‘click-to-cancel’ rule will prohibit retailers and other businesses from misleading people about subscriptions and require them to obtain consumers’ consent before charging for memberships, auto-renewals and programs linked to free trial offers.”
When Is ‘Recyclable’ Not Really Recyclable? When the Plastics Industry Gets to Define What the Word Means. (Laura)
The author writes, “Companies whose futures depend on plastic production are trying to persuade the federal government to allow them to put the label ‘recyclable’ on plastic shopping bags and other items virtually guaranteed to end up in landfills and incinerators.”
Rabbit Horde Roaming Part of the Hillyard Neighborhood Has Residents Divided and Local Agencies Spinning Their Wheels (Reader Steve)
From The Spokesman-Review: “A horde of rabbits are tearing apart several blocks of Spokane’s Hillyard Neighborhood, literally and figuratively. … Their black, white and sandy coloring indicates they’re the descendants of domesticated bunnies, which is confirmed by neighborhood lore on their origins. Around seven or eight years ago, a group of rabbits given as Easter presents were abandoned in the area of East Queen Avenue, residents say. Now, anywhere between 25 to 75 rabbits are ravaging gardens in a six-block radius, leaving mounds of droppings and neighborly feuds in their wake.”
