Apartment owners are suing the City of Los Angeles for keeping in place its emergency ban on rent increases first implemented at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. In a lawsuit filed July 24 in Los Angeles Superior Court, the Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles is asking the court to put a stop to the city’s…

An analysis by a non-profit research group drawing on calculations by an Italian analyst looking into the carbon footprint of made-in-China solar panels claims that the influential United Nations body on climate change has been drastically underestimating the carbon intensity of Chinese-made photovoltaic cells. Environmental Progress, a non-profit co-founded by investigative journalist Michael Shellenberger, in…

A group of chemical engineering students was denied state funding to participate in a national competition in Florida because of California’s travel ban to certain states that don’t allow biological male athletes to compete in girls’ and women’s sports. The ban, which Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law in 2019, was recently expanded to include…

A major backlog of U.S. passport applications has spurred a flood of calls by angry American travelers to House and Senate offices on Capitol Hill, as the delays worsen. Congressional offices are scrambling to address the issue at the height of the summer travel season, as many desperate constituents plea for help in dealing with unprecedented passport…

The first thing “H.N.” did when he got up on a July Sunday morning was say hi to his dog, Biscuit, and then start reading “Treasure Island,” which after just the first chapter may overtake “Robinson Crusoe” as his all-time favorite book—but that needs to wait until he finishes the book. Later, he played Monopoly with…

Transgender soldiers will be allowed to delay deployment for up to 300 days while using cross-sex hormones during their “transition” and waive physical fitness standards, according to a confidential Pentagon memo. The Feb. 1 Womack Army Medical Center (WAMC) memo said that the delay in deployment was needed so the transgender soldier could “stabilize” while taking hormones….

President Joe Biden will veto the first two appropriations bills to be voted on by the House if they reach his desk, according to White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) statements released on July 24. The statements are a shot across the bow of the Republican-controlled House as it has begun to legislate…

The West Coast fast food chain In-N-Out Burger recently announced its intention to prohibit masking for its employees unless they receive a doctor’s note, according to a leaked memo and an official statement by In-N-Out’s Chief Operating Officer Denny Warnick. According to the statement by Mr. Warnick, the company reasons that “wearing a mask literally…

Twenty six federal departments and agencies planning to buy 9,500 Electric Vehicles (EV) to replace existing cars and trucks will have to spend nearly $500 million more than if they opted for new conventional fossil-fueled models, according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO). “This total represents almost $200 million in estimated increased incremental costs (i.e.,…

Twenty-six federal departments and agencies that plan to buy 9,500 electric vehicles (EV) to replace existing cars and trucks will have to spend nearly $500 million more than if they opted for new conventional fossil-fueled models, according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO). “This total represents almost $200 million in estimated increased incremental costs (i.e.,…