Another month has passed and another temperature record for the planet was set.
Results published on the NASA database yesterday indicated July 2016 was the 10th month in a row to break monthly temperature records, a measure obtained by combining sea-surface temperatures and air temperatures on land.
David Karoly, a climate scientist from the University of Melbourne, told The Guardian this latest data means 2016 is “virtually certain” to be the hottest year on record. [Read more…]
A joint committee of the California Legislature has authorized an audit of the Commission on Judicial Performance, the only entity that can discipline or remove a state judge.
A coalition of two dozen groups reflecting a wide range of interests, led by the Center for Judicial Excellence wrote letters, made calls and sent emails to urge the Joint Legislative Audit Committee (JLAC) to call for the audit.
“The Center for Public Integrity gave California an ‘F grade’ on its 2015 report card for judicial accountability, said Kathleen Russell, the executive director of the Center for Judicial Excellence in a press release. [Read more…]
The general election is still three months away and Republicans have already lost their first local down-ballot contest.
Republican candidate Ray Ellis has conceded the District One city council seat contest to Democrat Barbara Bry.
This council race was supposed to be the marquee local contest, with the winner’s party having the political balance of power. An up and coming Republican mayor in a big city could have paved the way to a political future for his party. [Read more…]
The presidential contest is looking increasingly bleak for the Grand Old Party, with even Karl Rove saying things are not looking good for the Donald.
The latest Economist/YouGov Poll finds nearly one in three Republicans expect a Clinton victory in November, nearly double the percentage who thought that a week ago. The same poll has 81% of Democrats agreeing with that assessment.
The question both parties are asking is whether or not voters will be willing to split ballots. Some Democrats are even dreaming of their party retaking the House of Representatives. [Read more…]
San Diego County District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis has been subpoenaed and is expected to testify in federal district court on Monday at the trial of Mexican businessman Jose Susumo Azano Matsura.
Defense attorney Michael Wynne has been questioning witnesses about the DA’s direct knowledge of illegal campaign contributions and told freelance reporter JC Playford in an on-the-street video about the summons.
Although their initial support for her campaign is at the core of the government case against Azano and his co-conspirators, prosecutors have this far crafted a case that avoids avoiding linking her to any participation or awareness of illegal activities. [Read more…]
Republican Donald Trump gave a speech on economic policy before the Detroit Economic Club on Monday. The appearance was supposed to constitute a reboot of his flagging campaign, recently beset by blunders, bluster, and bullshit.
The candidate mostly stayed on script, reading on despite fourteen interruptions by protesters at pre-planned intervals. There was little actual news in the content of the address unless you want to call out revising his tax cuts to match the ones House Speaker Paul Ryan has been proposing.
Trumpian economics consists of triggering a trade war, drastically increasing the deficit and a massive transfer of wealth to the to already rich, while the rest of us wait for tax deductions we can’t use, along with the same old promises about deregulation/trickle-down as the road to prosperity.
“I want to jump-start America,” Trump said, “and it won’t even be that hard.” [Read more…]
Back in the days when tobacco use was an accepted norm in society, cigarette companies regularly created ad campaigns featuring physicians attesting to the quality of their products.
Opponents of Proposition 64, the California initiative to legalize recreational pot, are being accused of trying to pull a fast one on general election voters by including language in official ballot arguments suggesting that TV ads making marijuana attractive to children are part of the measure.
The Yes on Proposition 64 committee filed suit in Sacramento County Superior Court yesterday, asking a judge to change or delete arguments in opposition to the measure they say include false or misleading language. [Read more…]
Southern California may have lucked out in 2015 when it comes to the torrential rains associated with El Nino, but that’s about the only good news, according to the State of the Climate in 2015 report.
The 300-page report, utilizing 450 scientists from 62 countries around the world was published by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The bottom line: 2015’s global surface temperature towered over any year preceding it.
The planetary fever underway was linked a record-challenging El Niño event, with warmer-than-normal tropical Pacific Ocean waters heating up the atmosphere. Record-setting concentrations of heat-trapping gasses from human activity were also cited as a cause. [Read more…]
I will not write about Donald Trump today. I will not write about Donald Trump today. I will not write about Donald Trump today. I will not write about Donald Trump today. I will not write about Donald Trump today. I will not write about Donald Trump today…
The Cheeto Jesus is not the only thing coming at voters this fall.
It’s looking like there will be 17 (or 18) statewide, as many as a dozen citywide measures on the ballot for San Diegans and a few countywide measures for voters to consider. A few (okay, lots of) other people are running for office in local, state, and federal elections.
San Diego Free Press coverage of those contests will commence shortly after Labor Day, and culminate as mail-in ballots are sent out with a comprehensive progressive voter guide. Meanwhile, there are some developments to report. [Read more…]
Comic Con and the All-Star Game have come and gone, but San Diego’s homeless remain, criminalized and demonized. A report from the ACLU calls out blatant discrimination in charter schools throughout California. And rightwing-inspired laws restricting voting in states around the country are proving to be nothing more than a shield for racism.
Today we look at some of the downsides of life in the USA these days. The deification of the market economy and the quest to drown government in a bathtub are at the root of all these stories, something the Make American Great Again crowd seems unable to grasp. [Read more…]
The Donald is desperately trying to shake off incidents demonstrating his lack of awareness about things other than his massive ego. It’s not going so well.
The GOP’s nominee for President has been busy proving Hillary Clinton’s assertion that he’s easily baited, going ballistic after a critical speech by the father of a fallen soldier who just happened to be both an immigrant and a Muslim.
His lack of knowledge about the world revealed itself on Sunday when it became apparent he was unaware that the Russians had invaded the Ukraine two years ago.
And now Trump’s apparently looking for excuses not to debate his Democratic opponent by making the claim that two of the televised events will be overshadowed by broadcast football games. [Read more…]
The Republican National Convention continued yesterday, giving official approval of the Trump/Pence ticket and promising to jail Hillary Clinton at the first opportunity.
The question to answered now is whether we’re watching the implosion of a political party past its prime or the formal dissolution of the democratic process in the United States. Like watching a train wreck, it’s hard to look away.
The concept of a day at the GOP convention focused on jobs and progress–officially titled Putting America to Work Again–was left by the wayside on Tuesday as speaker after speaker sought to gain recognition as being the best at demonizing Hillary Clinton. [Read more…]
