The proposal would require a huge change in production and consumer choice. To put it in perspective, in 2022 about 6% of U.S. passenger vehicle sales were all-electric. But U.S. automakers are already ramping up to meet the California rules, as well as aggressive requirements in Europe and China.
Commentary
Banning TikTok May Weaken Personal Cybersecurity
Blocking access to TikTok by filtering traffic destined for addresses believed to be owned by TikTok is possible but would be difficult to accomplish. Server addresses can be changed and a TikTok ban could devolve into a game of cat and mouse.
Fox News ‘Journalists’ Lied With Impunity. It’s Their Business Model.
Businesses exist primarily to make a profit and doing actual news isn’t essential. Adam Serwer, reporting for The Atlantic, wrote “sources at Fox told me to think of it not as a network per se, but as a profit machine.” Profit machines can hire anybody who falls off a turnip truck and label them journalists because the job has no standardized requirements.
Efforts to Ban Critical Race Theory Have Hit 49 States
Researchers at the UCLA School of Law Critical Race Studies Program have created a new database to track attempts by local and state government to outlaw the teaching of the theory, which holds, among other things, that racism is not just expressed on an individual level, but rather is deeply embedded in the nation’s laws and policies.
Behind Mittelstadt’s Firing: ‘An Out of the Closet Lesbian’ Who Refuses to Kiss Chamber’s Ring
The bigoted, vengeful firing of Superintendent Cathy Mittelstadt will deeply stain Flagler County’s reputation for business or great schools: Neither the three school board members nor the chamber of commerce who orchestrated the ouster could find a single reason to fire her, fabrications aside. Malevolence was enough.
Global Warming Is Powering More Home Runs
More home runs might sound exciting, but that boost in homers is also a visible sign of the much larger problems facing sports and people worldwide as the planet warms.
Millions At Risk of Losing Free Preventive Care After Court Ruling on Obamacare
A federal judge in Texas’s ruling would eliminate free coverage for many basic preventive care services and medications. The federal government appealed the ruling to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
The Closing of the Floridian Mind
Ron DeSantis’ crackdown on thinking has got teachers so spooked, and so emboldened censorious Christian nationalists, that knowledge is being ripped out of public education in this state, even before his ridiculous laws are officially in place.
Massive Bloom of Brown Seaweed Heading for Florida, Threatening Sea Life
Scientists who monitor the formation of sargassum in the Atlantic Ocean say that 2023 could produce the largest bloom ever recorded. That’s bad news for destinations like Miami and Fort Lauderdale that will struggle to clean their shorelines.
Trump’s Charges and the Obstacles Ahead for the Prosecution
A former prosecutor and law professor who studies the American criminal justice system provides three key points to understand in the Trump indictment and the challenges that lie ahead for the prosecution of the former president.
Jacinda Ardern’s Goodbye: Her Politics of Kindness Fell on Unkind Times
Jacinda Ardern’s resignation as prime minister in January was a courageous and pragmatic decision for herself, her family and her party. Although many said she’d done a great job as leader, she rightly reminded us that a great leader is “one who knows when it’s time to go”.
Trump’s Arrest May Energize, Not Humiliate Him
Trump got what he wanted, as he, according to recent media reports, wanted to be the center of attention and create a spectacle. His detractors also got what they wanted, which was a visual record of Trump officially submitting to authorities, five days after he was indicted for 34 alleged felonies related to business fraud and a hush money payment to a porn star.
Regulating AI
Deceptive image and text generators are now available to millions of people and don’t require technical knowledge to use. Given the potential for widespread harm as technology companies roll out these AI systems and test them on the public, policymakers are faced with the task of determining whether and how to regulate the emerging technology.
The Cabal Against Superintendent Cathy Mittelstadt
Flagler County Superintendent Cathy Mittelstadt is the target of a cabal made up of a clique who claim to speak for a broader mass than they do, and who do so on the flimsiest pretexts and, whispering campaign aside, nonexistent evidence. Yet Tuesday evening, Mittelstadt may well be fired, with no justification.
‘Promises Made and Kept’: ESE Parent Advisory Council Voices Unanimous Support for Superintendent
The parent-members of Flagler Schools’ ESE Parent Advisory Council (or EPAC) voted unanimously in support of the renewal or extension of Superintendent Cathy Mittelstadt’s contract, issuing a letter outlining the superintendent’s achievements and cautioning against yet more instability.
Why Tornadoes Are Still Hard to Forecast
Meteorologists have gotten a lot better at forecasting the conditions that make tornadoes more likely. But predicting exactly which thunderstorms will produce a tornado and when is harder, and that’s where a lot of severe weather research is focused today.
I Served on Flagler’s School District Book Review Committee, Only to Be Silenced
One of 14 members appointed by the Flagler school administration to a district-level committee to review the challenge to Amy Reed’s “The Nowhere Girls” describes the experience of being part of a 14-0 decision to retain the book, only to be overruled by the superintendent, who banned the book.
I’m a Librarian Who Banned a Book. Here’s Why.
While this may anger some people and some groups, a balance in points of view is what any good library finds essential. Occasionally, some offended person asks to have a title withdrawn from being used, which is called a “challenge”; occasionally, these challenges are successful.
Prosecuting a President Is Divisive. Here’s Why Many Countries Do It Anyway.
Presidents and prime ministers aren’t just anyone. They are chosen by a nation’s citizens or their parties to lead. They are often popular, sometimes revered. So judicial proceedings against them are inevitably perceived as political and become divisive.
Trump’s Indictment and the Presidential Race
The Constitution does not require that the president be free from indictment, conviction or prison. But an indictment, conviction or both – let alone a prison sentence – would significantly compromise a president’s ability to function in office. The Constitution doesn’t provide an easy answer to the problem posed by such a compromised chief executive.
Against Baseball’s New Pitch Clock
The Major League Baseball executives who restlessly tinker with the rules in an effort to speed up the game are doing so less as its reliable custodians and more as marketers. Why else would they have adopted the new pitch clock rule?
Challenged in Flagler Schools: John Green’s Looking For Alaska, a Review and a Recommendation
John Green’s “Looking for Alaska,” a novel of adolescence, friendship, loyalty and misjudgments, is among the 22 books so far this school year that a trio of individuals have sought to ban from high school library shelves. A committee meets on March 30 at 3 p.m. at Matanzas High School to decide whether to retain it or ban it.
Body Language Books Get It Wrong
Reading body language can be a useful skill in understanding how someone is feeling or what they might be thinking. But it’s important to remember that it’s not an exact science and there can be cultural or individual variations in how people express themselves through body language.
George W. Bush’s Promise of Democracy in Iraq, 20 Years On
While Iraq today has a constitution, a parliament and holds regular elections, the country struggles both with popular legitimacy and with practical aspects of governance, such as providing basic education for children. In 2023, Freedom House continues to score Iraq as “Not Free” in its measure of democracy.
Drowning Public Schools in the Bathtub to Promote GOP Ideology
The slow financial strangling and demonization of public schools have set the stage for the direct infusion of millions and eventually billions of taxpayer dollars into the private sector.
Woke’s Potential Despite the Culture War’s Mercenaries
Open-ended terms like woke can evolve over time to symbolize more than their creators could have ever imagined. Words used ambiguously and in excess can eventually become meaningless. They can even experience semantic bleaching. This is when words lose their meaning through repeated and varied usage.
DeSantis Is Destroying Florida Universities’ Hard-Earned Respect in the Name of White Nationalism
Florida’s public universities have been gaining national prominence and respect, with U.F. and FSU ranked Nos. 5 and 19 among public universities. DeSantis’s assault on academic freedom in the name of a white-nationalist, America-first curriculum is demolishing that hard-earned respect and making an embarrassment of the state.
‘Salam, Ramadan Mubarak!’: 4 Ways Schools Can Bring Ramadan Into the Classroom
As Muslims begin observing Ramadan, it’s a good time to consider the importance of building a strong sense of belonging at school. Affirming the identities of Muslim students and all minoritized and racialized learners is a way of creating a positive classroom culture.
Why the Bitter Reaction to the Coretta and Martin Luther King Jr. Sculpture?
Despite the intended show of mutual affection between Coretta and Martin Luther King Jr., two of the most revered civil rights leaders in modern American history, many of the tweets shared on national news feeds after the unveiling were crude and misinterpreted arms for other body parts.
Should the U.S. Ban TikTok? Can It?
Banning TikTok on work-provided phones is one thing. A full ban of the app is another matter, which raises a number of questions: What data privacy risk does TikTok pose? What could the Chinese government do with data collected by the app? Is its content recommendation algorithm dangerous? And is it even possible to ban an app?
In Congress, Civility Is Increasingly Out of Order
A growing list of norm-breaking events away from a long tradition of decorum and civility are coloring how the GOP-controlled House, during the 118th Congress, is conducting business.
Sally Hunt Has Problems. The School District Is Paying the Price.
Flagler County School Board member Sally Hunt has a problem with truth. She has a problem with transparency. She has a problem with process. She has a problem with judgment. And she has a problem with the law. She’s also our problem. She’ll either lift this district or drag it down. Right now it’s not looking up.
Trump’s Latest Attempt to Degrade American Institutions
Autocratic populists like Donald Trump claim they are the sole voice of “the people” and those against them are “bad” or even “evil.” They undermine any and all opposition to them and attempts to hold them accountable, including independent institutions like courts, elections and the media. This is how such populists become so dangerous for democracy and the rule of law.
Climate Is Reaching a Critical Turning Point, Report Warns, But Options Remain
The world is in deep trouble on climate change, but if we really put our shoulder to the wheel we can turn things around. Loosely, that’s the essence of today’s report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
Farmed Salmon’s Fake Color Is Good For You
Utterly false claims that farmed salmon is naturally gray and malnourished are perpetuating myths that can confuse or scare salmon consumers. The truth is that the color of salmon fillets is red due to naturally occurring molecules called carotenoids, such as astaxanthin. This is part of a natural diet of wild salmon, and is added to the food for farmed salmon.
Iraq War: A Relic of the Past to a Whole Generation
The 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq and the war that followed are defining events in the histories of both countries – and the region. Yet, for many young people in the United States, drawing a connection between the war and its present-day impact is becoming more difficult. For them, the war is an artifact of the past.
Ron DeSantis’ Amazing, Awesome, Heroic Life
This is the book wrote by me, Ronald Dion DeSantis, aged 44-½. I wanted to call it “My Struggle,” but Casey said that wasn’t a good idea. So, we gave it the title “The Courage to be Free.”
Why SVB and Signature Bank Failed and What’s Ahead
The failures at SVB and Signature were two of the three biggest in U.S. banking history, following the collapse of Washington Mutual in 2008. How could this happen when the banking industry has been sitting on record levels of excess reserves – or the amount of cash held beyond what regulators require?
Belle Terre Swim Club’s Finances Are Not as Dire as Projected, Club Advocate Says
Doug Courtney, a member of the Belle Terre Swim and Racquet Club’s advisory committee, questions the school district’s claims that closing the club to public use would be a financial benefit.
Downing Drones and International Law
Russia violated international law when it failed to act with “due regard” for the U.S. right to engage in freedom of overflight. In fact, based on the U.S. account, Russia directly interfered with that right. And it is presumably on this basis that the State Department spokesman called the drone’s downing a “brazen violation of international law.”
Starting Palm Coast Council Meetings with ‘Invocation’ Would Be Unnecessarily Divisive
At a time when communities are divided enough by party, ideology, color and sometimes geography, the Palm Coast City Council’s proposal to start its meetings with a prayer, or invocation would add yet more divisiveness, when the council should be celebrating residents’ shared humanity and basic decency.
MAGA’s Pulse at CPAC: A Confederacy of Demons
The Make America Great Again faithful at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference trotted out all their demons: China, transgenderism, wokism, the media, and undocumented immigrants.
‘Cultural Misogyny’ and Why Men’s Aggression To Women Is So Often Expressed Through Sex
Some men participate in sexually denigrating women – both those in authority as well as those in positions of submission in hierarchical organizations. Why is male aggression towards women so often expressed through sex rather than through other means?
Jehovah’s Witnesses: A Look at an Often Misunderstood Sect
In many countries, Jehovah’s Witnesses are known for their outreach work, going door to door or standing in public areas to try to distribute religious material. But many people are unfamiliar with their beliefs, and when the group makes headlines, it is often for reasons related to persecution abroad. So who are they?
Why the Job Market Is Still On Fire Despite Fed’s Hosing
The U.S. economy added 311,000 jobs in February, higher than economists were forecasting, keeping unemployment near the lowest level in over 50 years, despite the most aggressive pace of interest rate hikes since the 1980s. Why?
Iowa Outdoes Florida’s ‘Parental Rights’ Abuses
GOP lawmakers pushing a “parental rights” agenda nevertheless think it’s just fine for gun owners to leave loaded weapons in cars in school parking lots, to loosen child labor laws, to cut unemployment benefits for parents with more than three children.
Barbie’s Endurance More Than 60 Years On
Sixty-four years on, Barbie continues to be the subject of cultural, sociological and psychological interest. By creating an iconic brand with special meaning for fans of all ages toy company Mattel has successfully extended the lifecycle of the Barbie brand for well over half a century. Barbie is also a polarizing, paradoxical figure.
Challenged in Flagler Schools: Amy Reed’s The Nowhere Girls, a Review and Recommendation
Amy Reed’s “The Nowhere Girls,” a 2017 novel on high school rape culture and three girls’ attempt to counter it, is a #MeToo manifesto for young adults. It’s up for banning from Flagler schools. This review is a guide.
When Asked, Voters Typically Reject School Choice Proposals
Of those 121 school voucher or charter programs in 45 states, only two have been approved by voters. In 16 referendums, the proposals have failed 14 times.
Springing Time Forward Is Bad for Your Health
Researchers are discovering that “springing ahead” each March is connected with serious negative health effects, including an uptick in heart attacks and teen sleep deprivation. In contrast, the fall transition back to standard time is not associated with these health effects, as my co-authors and I noted in a 2020 commentary.