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2+ min ago (1691+ words) I don't have access to Big Oil's internal emails about this. But they sure look wildly desperate to dodge the growing array of lawsuits over the damage caused by their decades-long scheme to deceive the public about climate change. Oil companies are doing whatever they possibly can to keep the plaintiffs in these suits (cities, counties, states, and Native American tribes) from having their day in court'and as some of the most powerful corporations in the world, there's a lot they can do. They're pushing Congress to pass a blanket waiver of liability for climate-related damages. They've deputized the Trump administration to threaten states that are bringing suits. And they have tried'again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again'to get the Supreme Court to step in and dismiss the cases against them, based on an often contradictory…...

14+ min ago (204+ words) U.S. President Donald Trump walks as he arrives at Morristown Municipal Airport in Morristown, New Jersey U.S., May 23, 2025. REUTERS/Nathan Howard Many voters, however, were thinking about high prices rather than low unemployment, and Trump's promise to lower prices "on Day One" was enough to help him get past the finish line in a close election and defeat Harris by roughly 1.5 percent in the national popular vote. Ten months into his second presidency, however, Trump is the one being blamed by his critics for high prices. And MS NOW reporter Kevin Frey, in an article published on Thanksgiving Day 2025, emphasizes that the holidays " first Thanksgiving, then Christmas " are a major political liability for the president. "With Democrats already gearing up for next year's midterms," Frey reports, "they are zeroing in on affordability as a unifying campaign message. And as Republicans argue Trump…...

16+ min ago (425+ words) U.S. President Donald Trump speaks, while wearing a "Make America Great Again" cap, after disembarking Air Force One, as he returns from his Asia trip, at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S., October 30, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein Intelligencer political columnist Ross Barkan says President Donald Trump appears to be singing the same old tune from his first term. "After spending much of the year on a sort of revanchist blitzkrieg that terrified the left and convinced many that his second term would far outpace his first, Trump has begun to genuinely fail," said Barkan. "And the failure, for those who followed the last time closely, is familiar: Rising autocracy is headed off by rank incompetence." Barkan said the collapse of the indictments of James Comey and Letitia James speak to the ham-handed rot at the heart of the Trump administration. "Lindsey Halligan, predictably, was…...

17+ min ago (295+ words) In the wake of the deadly shooting targeting National Guard members in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, President Donald Trump made a stunning announcement that one legal expert says is about to spark a wave of chaos and confusion for thousands. On Thursday, Trump made the unprecedented announcement that he had ordered U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement to review every Green Card holder "from every country of concern," a list of 19 countries his administration named in June. With around 12.7 million Green Card holders in the United States, immigration attorney and legal expert Curtis Morrison warned that with the announcement, things could soon spiral out of control. "My fellow immigration attorney colleagues and me are about to receive thousands of panicked emails from good people freaking out on behalf of their friends and families," Morrison wrote late Thursday in a social media post on…...

21+ min ago (1038+ words) Lionel Barrymore as Henry F. Potter in RKO Radio Picture's "It's a Wonderful Life" Pope Leo recently said his favorite movie of all time was "It's a Wonderful Life." Mine too. I first watched it when I was a kid in the early 1950s. For years, it was shown the week before Christmas. I loved it. Still do. The pope's and my favorite movie has a lot to tell us about where America is right now, and the scourge of Donald Trump. If you don't already know it, the central conflict in the movie is between Mr. Potter (played by Lionel Barrymore) and George Bailey (Jimmy Stewart). Potter is a greedy, cruel banker. In his Social Darwinist view of America, people compete with one another for scarce resources. Those who succeed deserve to win because they've outrun everyone else in that competitive…...

26+ min ago (364+ words) [Editrix's note: I made this last year, and the year before that, and ate it for every meal until all the components were gone. It is absolutely delicious, and I don't even particularly like Thanksgiving food. So have at it, and you're welcome.] Here is where you It's their time, it's their time up there. It's our time, it's our time, down here! This one doesn't have any meat, but you may include leftover turkey or any kind of breakfast meat you like (and maybe your leftover stuffing has some kind of meat in it). If you had a ham on Thanksgiving, throw in a handful of ham cubes. If you want sausage or bacon in it, cook them first in a skillet and drain the fat. You can put this together in the evening and bake it in the…...

28+ min ago (494+ words) Landmark law to criminalise murder of a woman as an "act of hatred" or "subjugation" but critics say Italy is still deeply patriarchal The Italian parliament has voted unanimously to introduce the crime of femicide " distinct from murder and punished with a life sentence. Previous attempts to pass a law that specifically criminalised the murder of a woman motivated by her sex had failed to gather enough support. Then the horrific, headline-dominating murder of Giulia Cecchettin by her ex-boyfriend in November 2023 "shocked the country into action, said the BBC. Every 10 minutes, a woman or girl somewhere in the world is killed because she is female, according to a newly published UN Women report on femicide. Last year, 83,000 women and girls were killed deliberately " with nearly 60% murdered at the hands of an intimate partner or family member. By contrast, only 11% of…...

29+ min ago (331+ words) From ancient bacteria, to modern cures, to future research The biological world is always expanding as research is constantly being done. Because of this, many findings often fall under the radar despite having the potential to change the world. Here are some of the most groundbreaking discoveries in biology from the past year. Is the world losing scientific innovation? The most invasive plant species in the world Scientists, in a hopping success, were able to produce the world's first kangaroo embryo using IVF. This could be a significant step towards protecting endangered species in Australia. The researchers "assessed how kangaroo eggs and sperm developed in a laboratory, before injecting a single sperm directly into a mature egg, using a technique known as intracytoplasmic sperm injection," said CNN. Researchers "sequenced the DNA of various mammoths " including 440 that had never been sequenced…...

29+ min ago (533+ words) By converting a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA, retirees can skip paying taxes on their withdrawals Even if you have already chosen an account for retirement savings, that doesn't necessarily mean you can't change your mind about it later. In fact, this is not at all uncommon " and many people see meaningful benefits from making a switch further down the line. One common swap that people make is converting their traditional IRA to a Roth IRA. With this move, retirees can skip paying taxes on their withdrawals, but they will need to pay taxes on the money contributed, as a Roth IRA is funded with after-tax funds as opposed to pre-tax funds like a traditional IRA. To determine whether or not this tax trade-off makes sense, it is important to weigh both the benefits and the drawbacks that a…...

29+ min ago (237+ words) A little upkeep now can save you money down the road Your to-do list likely does not need another item added to it. But when it comes to home maintenance, putting off those seemingly small, annoying tasks " think trimming your trees or vacuuming behind your refrigerator " can lead to that much more of your time and money getting taken up later. Here are four home maintenance tasks that may cost you big " unless you get ahead of them. Hope for the best but prepare for the worst. In depth From ancient bacteria, to modern cures, to future research Pros and Cons By converting a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA, retirees can skip paying taxes on their withdrawals The Explainer A few dollars here and there might seem insignificant, but it all adds up the explainer Pay down debt, add…...