Civil Liberties

Kevin Greutert’s voice brims with enthusiasm as he vividly recalls the moment when he was introduced to “The Shining.” He was a 14-year-old kid from the Los Angeles suburbs in early 1980, and like so many admirers of director Stanley Kubrick, Greutert’s initial introduction to one of his classic movies took place inside a movie theater.... Read Original Article

With less than a month to go before the 2024 U.S. presidential election, some polls show the race is essentially neck-and-neck for both candidates. Although Vice President Kamala Harris is consistently polling ahead of former President Donald Trump in the national popular vote, those same polls show the two candidates effectively tied in the seven swing states which will decide the election in the Electoral College: Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Georgia, Arizona and Nevada.... Read Original Article

October is traditionally associated with cool autumn breezes, but a heat wave fueled by climate change in the West is defying that expectation by continuing to shatter temperature records. According to a recent post by the National Weather Service, a record high temperature of 108 degrees Fahrenheit was recorded in Phoenix, Ariz.... Read Original Article

“The Apprentice” is the movie that Donald Trump does not want you to see, and it is easy to understand why. Despite taking creative liberties with the source material, historians tell Salon the new film that documents Trump’s rise to political celebrity is accurate in its most important assertion: Trump was groomed for power by Roy Cohn, one of the most sinister lawyers in our nation’s history.... Read Original Article

Barnard b may have an unassuming name, but the not-so-distant exoplanet is attracting excited attention from scientists. Newly discovered by astronomers publishing for the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics, Barnard b orbits the closest solo star to our own solar system, known as Barnard’s star. In the process, Barnard b raises hopes about the possibility of discovering life beyond Earth.... Read Original Article

During Tuesday night’s vice presidential debate between Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) and Gov. Tim Walz (D-Minn.), Vance dismissed climate change as “weird science,” skeptically characterizing the scientific consensus about burning fossil fuels as “this idea that carbon emissions drive all the climate change.” Top climate scientists were unimpressed with Vance’s posturing.... Read Original Article

People are still reeling from the devastation Hurricane Helene left behind, with some wondering why the storm was so intense. At least 162 people were killed across six states, with many still unaccounted for and over $35 billion in estimated damages. One community was particularly hard-hit: Asheville, North Carolina. But this is strange, because Asheville has been painted a place more resilient to climate change than other areas affected by the global crisis.... Read Original Article

Sloths are among the most beloved of jungle animals. The famously sluggish and furry tree-dwellers are found throughout Central and South America, giving off the vibe of relaxed lifestyle. Yet a recent study in the journal PeerJ Life and Environment revealed that sloths’ laid back lives are imperiled by the same human-caused problem endangering much of the planet — climate change.... Read Original Article

Discussing the weather is one of the most politically neutral forms of small talk. Or, at least it was. As climate change has changed the frequency and intensity of devastating storms, including Hurricane Helene, which has claimed over 100 lives in the past week, the changes to our planet has also become a politically fraught topic.... Read Original Article

Imagine a planet the size of Neptune, itself about four times the size of our home planet. Instead of orbiting our Sun, this exoplanet revolves around a star in the Virgo constellation roughly 200 light-years from Earth. Perhaps most notably, it has a very low mass — 10% the mass of Jupiter despite being 80% its volume, with an atmosphere of water vapor, methane, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and ammonia.... Read Original Article