San Francisco birds started singing differently in the quiet of the coronavirus lockdown, says a study in Science. Before, urban white-crowned sparrow’s breeding territories were almost three times as loud as rural territories, the study found. But during the pandemic, researchers noted that noise levels in urban areas were drastically lower. In fact, they were…… MORE
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Chicago church where Emmett Till’s funeral was held makes the US Most Endangered Historic Places list
The Chicago church where Emmett Till’s funeral was held has made the list of the United States’ Most Endangered Historic Places for 2020. Till, 14, was brutally murdered in Mississippi in 1955 after he was accused of whistling at a white woman. His mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, insisted on having an open casket so mourners could…… MORE
Radiation on moon’s surface measured for the first time, study says
When the next astronaut to reach the moon walks on the lunar surface in 2024, she’ll face radiation levels 200 times higher than on Earth. While Apollo mission astronauts carried dosimeters to the moon to measure radiation, the data was never reported. The first systematically documented measurements of radiation on the moon were undertaken in…… MORE
Vulnerable Democratic senator: ‘I will not support the confirmation’ of Supreme Court pick ahead of Election Day
Sen. Doug Jones, a vulnerable Democratic senator up for reelection in the red state of Alabama, announced Friday he “will not support” President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee — who has yet to be named — ahead of Election Day. “I will not support the confirmation of any Supreme Court justice nominee, regardless of who…… MORE
House Democrats to introduce bill setting 18-year term limit for Supreme Court justices
House Democrats plan to introduce a bill next week that would limit US Supreme Court justices’ lifetime appointments to 18 years, a largely symbolic response to the high-stakes battle in Congress over the Supreme Court vacancy left by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The legislation has no chance of passage in the GOP-led Senate, where Republicans…… MORE
She marched in Selma as a young girl. Now she’s seeing history repeat on voting rights
Joanne Bland was an 11-year-old schoolgirl in Selma, Alabama, when she marched into history, joining hundreds of activists on the Edmund Pettus Bridge for a demonstration that turned into one of the bloodiest confrontations of the civil rights movement. Baton-wielding state troopers and horse-mounted members of the sheriff’s posse, plunged into the peaceful crowd that…… MORE
‘Family Guy’ finds a new voice for Cleveland Brown in YouTuber Arif Zahir, known for his voice impressions
Arif Zahir, known for his impressions of Cleveland Brown from “Family Guy,” has gone from mimicking the character to actually playing him. Zahir, a YouTuber with more than 6 million followers, will replace Mike Henry in the upcoming 19th season, Fox announced Friday. Henry had voiced the character since the start but stepped down in…… MORE
Federal judge wants to see more evidence on Justice Department’s handling of Strzok, Page texts
A federal judge on Friday questioned the Justice Department’s decision to release text messages between former FBI employees Lisa Page and Peter Strzok and signaled that she wants to see more evidence about whether political influence played a role. Strzok and Page had been critical of President Donald Trump in their texts while they were…… MORE
Three railroad workers built a ‘man cave’ under New York’s Grand Central Terminal
Three railroad employees were suspended without pay for converting a room underneath Grand Central Terminal in New York City into their own personal ‘man cave.’ The room was furnished with a wall-mounted TV connected to a streaming device, a futon couch, refrigerator, air mattress, and microwave, according to a report released Thursday by the Metropolitan…… MORE
Appellate judges skeptical of Trump’s argument to block subpoena for financial records
A lawyer for President Donald Trump told a federal appeals court Friday that there is no request for documents that could be made as part of the Manhattan district attorney’s investigation concerning hush-money payments issued during the 2016 presidential election that he wouldn’t consider overbroad. During oral arguments as part of Trump’s lawsuit to block…… MORE