Washington — The National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction kicks off May 6.

New York — Although deaths at New York City building construction sites fell to their lowest level in nearly a decade in 2023, work-related injuries rose 25%, reports the city’s Department of Buildings.

Washington — OSHA conducted fewer fatality investigations this past fiscal year than in FY 2023, and recorded fewer deaths involving trench collapses and falls – two hazards on which the agency has focused its enforcement resources.

Salem, OR — Oregon OSHA is inviting all employers in the state to take part in its 16th annual “Safety Break for Oregon” to help raise awareness and promote “the value of keeping people safe and healthy” on the job.

Arlington, VA — The Mine Safety and Health Administration has recorded 70% fewer miner deaths through the first 10 weeks of 2024 than during the same period in 2022 and 2023.

Arlington, VA — The Mine Safety and Health Administration’s second annual Stand Down to Save Lives is set for May 22.

Flooring manufacturer Dixie Group continued investing in digital marketing and in-store merchandising during the third quarter but, like many in the flooring industry, faced headwinds from high interest rates, low home sales, and weak consumer confidence.

Preferred Flooring President Daniel Gonzalez urges the flooring installation community to follow the right guidelines for semi-wet-setting luxury vinyl.

Children's Geographies; 04/01/2023
(AN 163915527); ISSN: 14733285
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Children's Geographies; 06/01/2023
(AN 164286255); ISSN: 14733285
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Children's Geographies; 08/01/2023
(AN 167303414); ISSN: 14733285
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Journal of Intellectual Disabilities, Ahead of Print. This scoping review examined available scientific evidence according to the PRISMA-ScR guideline on the subject of treatment interventions by speech and language therapists of speech, language, and communication needs in people with Down syndrome. A literature search in PubMed, Embase, Cinahl, Cochrane, and Web of Science yielded 41 […]

The post Evidence-based decision-making in the treatment of speech, language, and communication disorders in Down syndrome; a scoping review was curated by information for practice.

GoldenTree Asset Management, Vista Investments of Florida, more | downtown West Palm Beach  Steve Ross scored new tenants and lease renewals at his downtown West Palm Beach office towers.  New York-based global asset manager GoldenTree  Asset Management, founded by Steven A. Tananbaum; Chicago-based Vista Investments of Florida, founded by Tom Tisbo; and New York-based private equity […]

The post Lease roundup: Steve Ross lands GoldenTree, Amerant Bank at his downtown West Palm towers appeared first on The Real Deal.

The post Breaking down barriers to opportunity: Where next for Labour’s childcare offer? was curated by information for practice.

by Suzette Smith

The Mercury provides its readers with interesting and useful news & culture reporting every single day. If you appreciate that, consider making a small monthly contribution to support our editorial team. If you read something you like, something you don't like but are glad to know about, and/or something you can't find anywhere else consider a one-time tip. It all goes in the same pot and it all goes to the editorial team. Thanks for your support!

Good Morning, Portland! We're still "turning and turning in the widening gyre" over here, and we may be for quite some time.

IN LOCAL NEWS:
• Last night's round of election results arrived without any notable changes in the Portland City Council races. News editor Courtney Vaughn writes: "With Keith Wilson securing the mayor’s seat the day prior, results in City Council districts largely held firm."

• While the national election results have been [understatement incoming] pretty distressing, local races are lined with silver. The Columbian reports Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez has maintained her lead over far-right, perennial challenger Joe Kent. The Oregonian has a good breakdown of the race and history of Gluesenkamp Perez's hard-fought win.

• PCC Automotive Service Technology Program instructor Jay Kuykendall has been named this year's Educator of the Year by the North American Council of Automotive Teachers, Portland Tribune reports. "Kuykendall oversees the auto shop lab and teaches engine performance classes, along with elective courses like Subaru U, electrified vehicles and light-duty diesel."

• Beloved local coffee chain Jim and Patty's Coffee announced earlier this week that it will close its remaining two locations, in Beaverton and in Portland, on November 11. "Thank you all from the bottom of our hearts for your support..." owner Patty Roberts wrote. "Now I will need to find a job. If anyone has any ideas for an old lady who has been off the job market for over 40 years, let me know!" ???? For more backstory, check out this Mercury piece about the struggling coffee shops from October.

• There was once a time in Portland when one could easily—well, depending on connection issues—rent a cheery little blue and white hybrid car to drive. The little smart cars were great for unforgiving rain showers and surprisingly solid in the snow. Car2Go merged with Reachnow in 2018, then tanked in 2019. In 2021, Free2Move announced it would drop a "fleet of 200 Jeep Renegades" for Portland consumers to rent, but the cumbersome cars departed once more in 2023. This week MSN reposted that story from 2023, so some people have been letting us know about it. Sorry about MSN, and this all happened last year. Still fun to revisit this tweet:

so let me get this straight

car2go joins sharenow, while reachnow becomes reachnow pic.twitter.com/gJi7R6YZ8e

— Cabel Sasser (@cabel) March 4, 2019

• Politicians are politicians, but I find Sen. Jeff Merkley's vibe calming:

          View this post on Instagram                      

A post shared by Senator Jeff Merkley (@senjeffmerkley)

• Every week, the Mercury gives out free tickets to local shows and this week we've got sweet tix for Reverend Horton Heat, Des Demonas, Karina Rykman and moooore—check'm out and win with our Free Ticket Thursday giveaway!

IN NATIONAL / INTERNATIONAL NEWS:
• I can't immediately find who said this, but I think it's a valid concern: As we watch the transition back to a Trump administration presidency, the cabinet appointments are probably going to feel like being repeatedly punched in the face. President-elect Donald Trump named Florida strategist Susie Wiles as his White House chief of staff on Thursday. Wiles has run his political operation for nearly four years, making her one of the few people to survive at his side for any length of time. What's Wiles deal? Nepo baby. Ronald Reagan campaign staffer. Wiles has been credited with putting Rick Scott in Florida's governor’s office. Associated Press has a nice, long profile on her this morning. Is she going to tear the tampon machine out of the White House bathroom again? We're watching.

• A Biden administration initiative known as “Keeping Families Together” was struck down by a Texas-based US District judge yesterday; Judge J. Campbell Barker argued that the Biden administration had overstepped its authority with its attempt to lessen barriers to citizenship for undocumented immigrants married to US citizens.

• Soccer fans did violence again, but this time it might be motivated by cultural and political friction. NPR reports that "leading political figures in the Netherlands have condemned the violence that followed a match between a Dutch team Ajax and Tel Aviv's Maccabi. According to NPR, "Dutch police said 62 people have been arrested following several clashes." Amsterdam mayor Femke Halsema described local men seeking out Israeli fans on scooters. Dutch police chief Peter Holla said fans of Tel Aviv Maccabi had "set a Palestinian flag on fire in the city and attacked a taxi." Dutch authorities have banned demonstrations through the weekend.

• Happy Martian New Year... soon! In Scientific American Phil Plait writes: "Why would anyone pick November 12 as New Year’s Day for Mars? And why does our official reckoning of Martian time set the eons-old Red Planet only in its 38th year? The answer involves a combination of natural cycles and the human need to impose order via somewhat arbitrary timekeeping—pretty much like on Earth."

• And now we part—wishing a fine weekend to my naysayers and hatchet men in the fight against violence.

Citing ethical issues and potential conflicts of interest, advocates want the city to halt a no-bid contract renewal that would funnel millions to the Portland Metro Chamber. by Courtney Vaughn

For years, Portland has collected fees from property owners in enhanced service districts to pay for added cleaning and security services in designated areas. The districts are typically concentrated around businesses, offering private security, extra policing, janitorial services, and more recently, removal of homeless camps. 

Some stakeholders say the city has yet to confront the unique and outsized role of Portland’s most powerful business lobbying group at one enhanced service district (ESD) in particular—Downtown Portland Clean & Safe.

This week, Portland City Council is scheduled to vote on a 116-acre expansion of the Downtown Portland Clean & Safe district, as well as a fee hike and a five-year management contract renewal for the district. 

Ahead of Wednesday’s vote, more than 100 Portlanders and over a dozen community groups are urging City Council to postpone the contract renewal that would funnel a hefty portion of a $58 million, no-bid contract to the Portland Metro Chamber.

An open letter to city commissioners outlines a number of transparency and ethics issues surrounding the Clean & Safe contract, asking the Council vote to be tabled until a new Council is sworn in this January.

Currently, the Downtown Portland Clean & Safe district is overseen by an organization of the same name, whose management has significant overlap with the executive leadership of the Portland Metro Chamber (formerly the Portland Business Alliance).

A large chunk of funding for the Metro Chamber’s leadership staff comes from a lucrative contract to oversee the Downtown Portland Clean & Safe ESD.

That means a private group that lobbies the city on behalf of private business interests is being paid millions in public money to oversee a service district that includes a large swath of its own dues-paying members. The downtown district also includes several government agencies and properties that pay into the ESD—including Portland City Hall. Moreover, community groups say the contract and service delivery model are convoluted at best, with next to no oversight from the city.

The letter’s signatories say the petition for district expansion, and the accompanying contract renewal “raises serious concerns related to affordability, efficient use of public resources, accountability, and transparency.”

“The City contracts with Clean & Safe, which subcontracts with other organizations to carry out cleaning and safety services. Yet the executive director of Clean & Safe is simultaneously an employee of the Portland Business Alliance, which is also a subcontractor of Clean & Safe,” the open letter to Council states. “Unclear lines of oversight make it difficult for ratepayers or the public to hold anyone accountable. Even more concerning, the contract allocates significant overhead to the Portland Business Alliance, the city’s most active lobbying organization.”

It's a contract that mystifies everyone from accountants, to ratepayers, and even auditors. 

A 2020 city audit of Portland's ESDs found "little oversight" of the privately funded public service districts and noted "complicated governance and management systems" that obfuscate public access to basic information such as budgets and subcontracts.

Not long after the city audit, a local business executive spoke out about the questionable business arrangement baked into the Clean & Safe contract. When she did, she was allegedly threatened with a lawsuit from the Portland Business Alliance.

Since then, other local government watchdogs have taken note, but gotten little traction with city leadership.

“I think this council has an ethical responsibility to answer all these questions for the voters, or wait,” Diane Goodwin, a member of local political advocacy group Portland For All, says.

It's unclear what Clean & Safe's latest budget includes. A 2021 budget calculated total expenses at around $5 million, including about $858,000 in salaries. Exactly what portion of staff is covered in those salary expenses is murky. Both the Metro Chamber and Downtown Clean & Safe share staff. In fact, the Chamber's CEO and president, Andrew Hoan, is also the CEO and president of Downtown Clean & Safe. The 2021 budget shows $243,000 in "shared administration" salary costs. 

Tax documents from 2022 show Hoan drew a $333,000 salary from the Chamber that year. The two organizations also share an executive assistant and an advocacy coordinator. Clean & Safe's operations director and executive director are also listed as part of the Chamber's staff. The Clean & Safe executive director drew a $154,000 salary from the Chamber that same year.

Businesses and commercial property owners in the district overwhelmingly support the expansion, saying the frequent cleaning and beefed up security have improved downtown Portland and made it safer for workers and visitors.

“We want our associates to feel safe coming into work,” Kelly Mullen, president of Portland’s Safeway and Albertsons division, told the Council on October 31 during its initial consideration of the contract and ESD expansion. Mullen said recently, the Safeway location at 10th and Jefferson has had to reduce store hours and close off an entrance, to improve safety at the grocery store.

“We want to be part of the solution and really make our community thrive,” Mullen said.

The council also heard from the principal of a private school advocating for the district expansion so her students and staff could receive extra security and clean-up around the campus.

One element of Downtown Clean & Safe that’s lauded by nearly every district member, even critics, is the Clean Start program, run by Central City Concern. The program offers janitorial jobs cleaning city streets to people transitioning out of homelessness. For many, it offers a fresh start and a path toward self-sufficiency. 

City staff and Clean & Safe reps say the expanded district and new proposed rate structures will offer more transparency, reasonable fee calculations, inflation adjustments, and a cap on rates for condo owners. Several residential ratepayers say the whole Clean & Safe arrangement leaves them with more questions than services received. 

John Pumphrey owns a condominium in the downtown district. He and other condo owners say the services they pay for are often duplicative of private security and janitorial services they already pay for through their homeowners association. They also say the services serve mainly to benefit businesses, not residents.

“I’m a condo owner in downtown Portland and our building pays $24,000 a year to Clean & Safe and for this, [we] receive next to nothing,” Pumphrey told the Council, asking them to vote against the contract renewal. “What’s really irritating to some of us about Clean & Safe is that 50 percent of what we contribute … is skimmed off the top by the Portland Metro Chamber.”

Pumphrey isn’t the only one critical of the unusually high compensation provided to Portland Metro Chamber staff from the Downtown Clean & Safe contract.

The open letter to City Council also makes mention of the compensation arrangement, asserting the Clean & Safe contract “pays nearly 50 percent of Business Alliance executive salaries in addition to up to 30% in administrative overhead.”

“Many of these executives appear in City lobbying records and in state filings for PACs that advocate for private business interests, often directly in conflict with the will of the voting public,” the letter reads. “It is inappropriate to use public resources to offset the cost of business lobbying.”

Devin Reynolds, the city's ESD coordinator, said the arrangement between the Metro Chamber and Dowtown Clean & Safe isn't an anomaly.

“Having an ESD contract with a third party to fulfill some, or all their service areas is indeed common across business improvement districts, business improvement areas, and enhanced services districts,” Reynolds told the Mercury earlier this year.

Commonplace or not, some downtown ESD ratepayers say they’ve been cut off from any meaningful participation in their district’s oversight or decisions.

Anita Davidson, a condo owner in the downtown district, told the Mercury that for years, condo owners have had no representation in district leadership, and there is little to no transparency around operational decisions.

“As residential people, we don’t feel we belong there. We don't have a vote in who runs Clean & Safe,” she said. “We can’t even join Portland Metro Chamber, because it's for businesses. I’d like to see Clean & Safe become a public nonprofit. That would solve a lot of things. I still have to make a public records request [just] to see their budget.”

In an effort to appease homeowners, the new contract includes a fee cap on residential units. It’s a nice accommodation, but homeowners in the industry-dominated district say what they really want is a way to opt out.

There currently is no mechanism to do that, and the process for annexing additional property into an ESD doesn’t require a vote from affected property owners. It’s left up to City Council to approve. Current standards only require the city to notify affected property owners by mail and hold public hearings where they can chime in. 

“Unfortunately for ratepayers, the city has not yet, after 30 years, adopted standards for formation, renewal, or expansion of the ESDs,” Davidson told Council. “At some point, we hope and expect that this will happen, although listening tonight, it sounds like it's an all-in-one thing.”

Other district members say they disagree with their tax revenue being used to initiate homeless sweeps, and pay for increased police presence.

That’s especially true in the case of Sisters of the Road, a homeless services nonprofit and member of the Downtown Portland Clean & Safe district.

“From 2016-2020, unhoused residents accounted for over half of arrests made in Portland. Their charges were primarily nonviolent, survival crimes. That same data showed that people are 20 times more likely to experience criminalization in Downtown Clean & Safe versus other areas of the city,” Lauren Armony, program director at Sisters of the Road, told the city in written testimony earlier this year. “Hyper-surveillance has not made our neighborhood any healthier or safer, but further entrenched vulnerable individuals in the cycle of incarceration and poverty.”

Organizations like Sisters of the Road say they're irked that the ESD funnels its members’ taxes into the Metro Chamber, which has powerful influence over city politics and often advocates against the city’s vulnerable, unhoused residents–the same population Sisters of the Road is trying to help. 

The Clean & Safe contract and district expansion are currently scheduled for a second reading and vote by Portland City Council on Wednesday.

China's government is censoring puns and wordplay on-line. NPR's Scott Simon explains why double meanings are a problem for Beijing.

A low-pressure system brings another soaking to much of Minnesota on Election Day.

Recorded during the 2018 International Trombone Festival, this brass choir elevates the cover game.

Minnesota Orchestra music director Osmo Vanska will step down at the conclusion of his contract, in August 2022. Vanska made the announcement at the Orchestra board's annual meeting Wednesday.

Alarmed by the growing popularity of rap among Russian youth, President Vladimir Putin wants cultural leaders to devise a means of controlling, rather than banning, the popular music.

Rioters in the same city where Anne Frank hid during the Holocaust hunted down Israeli soccer fans, beating them and forcing them to say “Free Palestine” in an outbreak of violence that many have likened to Kristallnacht during the Nazi regime in Germany. 

An attorney dedicated to upholding religious freedom stated that he is “greatly disturbed” to see what Michigan has become, warning of a “growing hostility” in the state toward the exercise of religion in the public square. 

Many artists have had a difficult time during the pandemic, while they've also brought joy to other people who are struggling. For NHPR's series, The Show Goes On , we're talking with artists across New Hampshire about how they're making it through the pandemic. NHPR's Morning Edition host Rick Ganley spoke with Rhonda Besaw , a beadworker from Whitefield, about her work and what's she's learned this past year.

Laila Mickelwait has fought against sex trafficking for decades, and her latest memoir recounts her efforts to expose Pornhub and also how her Christian faith filled her with the strength to take on Goliath. 

By nominating a civilian such as Andrei Belousov for the post of the Defence Minister, Vladimir Putin continued the tradition that had developed during his service. General Sergei Ivanov was the first minister appointed by Putin. Ivanov came from intelligence (he headed the military department from 2001 to 2007), and was replaced (under President Dmitry Medvedev) by the former chief tax officer Anatoly Serdyukov. Serdyukov served at the post for five years. Sergei Shoigu, a civil engineer by training and the founder of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, chaired the Defence Ministry in 2012 (he left the post of the Moscow region governor). Andrei Belousov is 65 years old. He has been associated with economics all his life. After graduating from the Department of Economics of the Moscow State University, he took up scientific activities — first at the Central Institute of Economics and Mathematics of the USSR Academy of Sciences, then at the Institute of Economics and Forecasting of Scientific and Technological Progress of the USSR Academy of Sciences. In 1990-2006, he served as a senior researcher and head of a laboratory at the Institute of Economic Forecasting of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

In Zheleznogorsk, the Kursk region of Russia, fragments of an unmanned aerial vehicle crashed and exploded on a busy ringway. The incident was captured on video. The footage that was posted on Gaza Telegram channel shows the drone debris falling just several meters from passing cars and exploding, sending smaller debris flying around. It appears that the drivers of the cars that were traveling on the road during the moment of the incident did not panic and continued driving.

Kamila Valieva, Russian figure skating phenomenon, failed her performance and was ranked fourth in the free skating program at the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing. When Kamila finished her performance, Tutberidze asked her why she stopped fighting during the performance. "Well, why did you let go of everything? Well, explain, you let go somewhere after the axel,” said the coach to her 15-year-old athlete.

14-year-old figure skater Maria Simonova was rushed to hospital after she fell on ice hard during a tournament in Moscow. Male skater dropped Simonova while holding her on support. The girl fell hard on ice and hit her head. After the fall, she was able to get up and finish the programme. She did not come to the traditional kiss-and-cry room after the performance and asked for help.

Russia will use Buk and Pantsir air defense systems against Israeli Air Force aircraft. Analysts say that Russian officials have repeatedly declared that Israeli aviation poses a threat to the Russian military in Syria. According to British publication Rai Al Youm, Russia may use its complexes to cover the Syrian sky from Israeli air raids. Experts of the publication note that Israel, while striking Iranian groups in Syria, endangers the Russian military.

A young woman fell into a coma after having 20 shots in a Moscow bar. It was said that the woman went out for a drink after her boyfriend broke up with her. On Sunday night, October 27, the 24-year-old woman named only as Tanya came to the bar at Sergei Zhukov's Ruki Vverkh Bar (Hands Up!) on Tverskaya Street in Moscow. She ordered 20 shots of various strong drinks — vodka, whiskey, rum, tequila, sambuca and absinthe — and downed them all one after another while her friend and the bartender were filming her drinking. The woman felt sick and collapsed soon afterwards. She was rushed to intensive care in serious condition.

Russian MP Gurulev said that the border cover group was insufficiently equipped. "No one likes the truth in reports," he said. State Duma deputy Andrei Gurulev wrote in his Telegram channel that he did not believe in the fact that the Russian military administration "did not know about the buildup of enemy troops" on the border near the Kursk region. Andrei Gurulev is a member of the State Duma Defense Committee. He holds the rank of lieutenant general.

[Science] :
Rain is in the forecast nationwide on Tuesday, with downpours expected along the southern coastal areas of South Jeolla Province, in the southeastern Gyeongsang region and on the southernmost island of Jeju. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, over 100 millimeters could fall on the ...

[more...]

Discover the compatibility between Cancer and Aquarius in love, friendship, and relationships. Learn how their emotional and intellectual traits align or clash.

[Economy] :
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index dipped 29-point-49 points, or one-point-15 percent, on Monday to close at two-thousand-531-point-66. The tech-heavy KOSDAQ slid 14-point-54 points, or one-point-96 percent, to close at 728-point-84.

[more...]

[Economy] :
The Korea Development Institute(KDI) has recommended further easing of monetary policy tightening as it forecast that the slowdown in inflation will continue for the time being.  The state-run think tank made the recommendation in a report released on Monday that analyzed recent price fluctuation factors ...

[more...]

[Economy] :
A state-run institute has revised down this year’s growth outlook by zero-point-three percentage point to two-point-two percent. In August, the Korea Development Institute(KDI) said it expected the economy to expand two-point-five percent in 2024. The institute said the economic recovery has weakened as ...

[more...]

[Economy] :
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index dipped 49-point-09 points, or one-point-94 percent, on Tuesday to close at two-thousand-482-point-57. The tech-heavy KOSDAQ slid 18-point-32 points, or two-point-51 percent, to close at 710-point-52.

[more...]

UK Minerals Yearbook 2023 now available to download  British Geological Survey

At-wavelength metrology of X-ray optics plays a crucial role in evaluating the performance of optics under actual beamline operating conditions, enabling in situ diagnostics and optimization. Techniques utilizing a wavefront random modulator have gained increasing attention in recent years. However, accurately mapping the measured wavefront slope to a curved X-ray mirror surface when the modulator is downstream of the mirror has posed a challenge. To address this problem, an iterative method has been developed in this study. The results demonstrate a significant improvement compared with conventional approaches and agree with offline measurements obtained from optical metrology. We believe that the proposed method enhances the accuracy of at-wavelength metrology techniques, and empowers them to play a greater role in beamline operation and optics fabrication.

Progressive activists are watching the end of the Supreme Court session for a possible retirement announcement from Stephen Breyer, the court's oldest current justice. Breyer will turn 83 in August.; Credit: Erin Schaff/The New York Times via AP/Pool

For Erwin Chemerinsky, this is a familiar feeling: Seven years ago, the dean of the University of California Berkeley School of Law publicly called for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg to retire from the Supreme Court because he reasoned too much was at stake in the 2016 elections.

Ginsburg didn't listen then, but he's hoping Justice Stephen Breyer will listen now — but Breyer has given no indication whether he plans to stay or go.

"If he wants someone with his values and views to take his place, now is the time to step down," Chemerinsky told NPR.

Progressive activists are hoping that Breyer, who will turn 83 in August, will announce he is retiring Thursday, the same day the Supreme Court delivers its final two opinions of the term. But a justice can decide to retire at any time — though both Anthony Kennedy and Sandra Day O'Connor announced their respective retirements at the end of the court's session.

Chemerinsky is part of a growing rank of progressives who are breaking with the polite, political norms of the past when it comes to questioning service on the Supreme Court. Ginsburg's death last year and the subsequent appointment of Amy Coney Barrett to deliver a conservative supermajority on the court had a lot to do with that.

"I think a lot of people who thought that silence was the best approach in 2013 came to regret that in the aftermath of [Ginsburg's] untimely passing last year," said Brian Fallon, executive director of Demand Justice. "I think it would be foolish of us to repeat this same mistake and to greet the current situation passively and not do everything we can to signal to Justice Breyer, that now is the time for him to step down"

Since Democrats took control of the Senate in January, Demand Justice has organized public demonstrations, billboard and ad campaigns, and assembled a list of scholars and activists to join their public pressure campaign for Breyer to retire.

The risk, as Fallon sees it, is twofold. The first is the perils of a 50-50 Senate.

"The Democrats are one heartbeat away from having control switch in the Senate," he said. "There's a lot of octogenarian senators, many of whom have Republican governors that might get to appoint a successor to them if the worst happened."

The second is the 2022 midterms when control of the Senate will be in play.

"If [Senate Minority Leader] Mitch McConnell reassumes the Senate majority leader post, at worst, he might block any Biden pick, and at best, Biden is going to have to calibrate who he selects in order to get them through a Republican-held Senate."

Both Chemerinsky and Fallon concede the public campaign is not without some risk.

"I've certainly heard from some that this might make him less likely to retire, perhaps to dig in his heels," Chemerinsky said.

The campaign has also not caught fire on Capitol Hill, where only a small handful of progressive senators have — tactfully — suggested they'd like to see Breyer retire of his own accord.

Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., told CNN this month he did not support any Senate-led pressure campaigns on the court, but he added: "My secret heart is that some members, particularly the 82-year-old Stephen Breyer, will maybe have that thought on his own, that he should not let his seat be subject to a potential theft."

Senate Judiciary Chairman Dick Durbin, D-Ill., also distanced himself from the public retirement push, telling NPR: "I'm not on that campaign to put pressure on Justice Breyer. He's done an exceptional job. He alone can make the decision about his future. And I trust him to make the right one."

Absent any change in the status quo, Democrats will control the Senate at least until 2023. If the court's session ends without a retirement announcement, Fallon said he expects the calls for Breyer's retirement will grow louder. It's all part of what he said is a new, more aggressive position on the Supreme Court from the left.

"In some way, we are trying to make a point that progressives for too long, have taken a hands-off approach to the court," he said. "And they've been sort of foolish for doing so because the other side doesn't operate that way."

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

Oil prices have whipsawed between concerns over supply as Western sanctions on Russian crude and products over the Ukraine war disrupt trade flows, and worries that central bank efforts to tame inflation may trigger a demand-destroying recession.

As of today all PDF versions of books published by the National Academies Press will be downloadable to anyone free of charge. This includes a current catalog of more than 4,000 books plus future reports produced by the Press.

Although the number of women among new inventors is edging upward, women still make up only about 13 percent of inventors in the economy overall. What keeps more women from engaging in invention and entrepreneurship? A recent workshop explored that question and how to remove the obstacles.

The Digital Services Act aims to protect European users when it comes to privacy, transparency, and removal of harmful or illegal content.

The Germany-based firm, which registered annual revenues of $32.5 billion in fiscal 2022, has been pivoting to cloud based services and for the first time is hosting its annual global event TechED in Bengaluru India.

The shutdowns also led to a loss of nearly $118 million in foreign investment and triggered over 21,000 job losses, the global non-profit Internet Society said in its report 'Netloss'.

The 24% quarterly growth follows a slower-than-expected 16% growth in the January to March quarter, as reported by ET in May. While certain segments like pharma and eye wear have grown at a faster clip, senior ecommerce industry executives said there is an emerging trend of slowdown in online sales of low-priced items across categories like fashion, appliances, etc.

Grey is doing good, Myke is busier than ever, and they both talk about how to live and work entirely at home.

The competition showcases on-trend sweet and savory flavors from leading producers.