And this is what makes them credible contenders for the top spot in Democratic politics

We didn't lose, ladies and gentlemen

‘Rep. Spartz accidentally carried an empty handgun in her suitcase’

There’s no country anywhere on Earth that’s entirely powered by renewable energy every day, but that’s soon to change. In a letter released on June 21 entitled “Brother Sun” Pope Francis announced his intention to transition Vatican City onto 100% renewable energy using solar panels. The apostolic letter issued “motu proprio,” or on his own […] The post The Vatican Goes Green: Pope Francis Announces New Suburban Solar Plant to Power Vatican City appeared first on Good News Network.

Books book recommendations The Wonderful Worlds of Aliette de Bodard Whether you’re new to her work or have been following her for years, there’s always something new to try By Jenny Hamilton | Published on July 2, 2024 Comment 0 Share New Share Apart from being one of the most inventive and interesting science fiction writers working, Aliette de Bodard also represents a stirring testament to the power and importance of SFF’s short fiction ecosystem. Her short stories and novellas have been published across a dizzying number of outlets, establishing universes of long standing whose development can be traced across decades. In her long-form work, she writes a lot of speculative murder mysteries that thoughtfully explore gradations of power, institutional failures, and the individual’s ability to make space for ethical choices within corrupt and corrupting systems. With the new novella Navigational Entanglements out later this month, it felt like the right moment to offer an intro to the rich SFF worlds of this fantastic author. Whether you’re new to her work or have been following her for years, there’s always something new to try! Standalones If you’re not sure you want to commit to a whole new world, there are some terrific standalone works to check out. The latest novella, Navigational Entanglements, is a standalone, wuxia-inspired, science fiction team-up murder mystery; and it was so fun and such a great time that I’m secretly hoping it ends up not being standalone but instead becomes part of a long-running series. Can you hear me, publishers? More of these, please! From the backlist, there’s plenty to love. Fireheart Tiger asks the reader to confront the lines between romance and obsession, conflict and abuse. My current favorite of the standalones is still In the Vanishers’ Palace, which is pretty unique among Beauty and the Beast retellings for its willingness to grapple with the problems of power that permeate that story. So that’s probably the one I’d put into the hands of a de Bodard newbie. (Navigational Entanglements is really nipping at its heels, however.) Xuya Universe If you are me, the backstory you need on the Xuya universe is “some ships are people.” I love a nonhuman protagonist, and Aliette de Bodard doesn’t flinch away from the logistical weirdnesses of embodiment and the myriad of ways human-people interact with ship-people. The amount of explanation provided in any given Xuya story, novella, or novel varies widely, but you don’t really need to understand the logistics in order to enjoy the stories. Yes, the ships can have sex. Yes, the ships can be the biological children of humans. Don’t worry about it! If you are my dear friend Whiskey Jenny, you may be constitutionally incapable of not worrying about it. This is where de Bodard has proved herself a true friend to the people. Her website contains a lengthy backstory for the Xuya universe that traces the world back to its original points of diversion from our real world’s history (China, not Europe, made first contact with the Americas and their people). There’s also a timeline of major world events, which pegs the various stories to the point in history. The Xuya universe is particularly fun because lots of room remains to explore different types of stories and futures that exist in various pockets of the Xuya world. For instance, the short story “Immersion” takes place in a very different bit of the universe than some of the stuff I’ll be recommending, which means that you get the chance to see other future societies, structured differently, with different concerns and different relationships to Earth’s countries. Part of the fun of this world is its expansiveness, and de Bodard makes full use of the vastness of space. Where to start (short-form): I’d recommend the novella The Tea Master and the Detective. The Sherlockian undertones and the mystery structure give this one a familiar net to catch you as you plunge into a highly unfamiliar world. It’s a good read, it’s a quick read, and it’ll give you a strong enough foundation with the worldbuilding to start having fun with the novels, novellas, and shorts that dabble in all sorts of subgenres and all corners of this universe. Where to start (long-form): Like many of Aliette de Bodard’s books, The Red Scholar’s Wake includes a murder mystery, but it’s primarily a romance between a pirate mindship called Rice Fish and a bot maker and scavenger called Xích Si. The Red Scholar’s Wake explores grief, mothering, political machinations, and how to find the lesser of an array of possible evils. If you’re curious about the logistics of mindships, this is also a great book for its exploration of the many ways a mindship can interface with humans, on terms of enmity as well as intimacy. A very good read. Read these if: You revel in worldbuilding. You don’t want to spend a ton of time with any one character. You would hop on a generation ship tomorrow if somebody offered you a seat on one. Dominion of the Fallen Paris lies in ruins after a massive war among the Great Houses that have long governed the city. House Silverspires, created by Lucifer Morningstar (you’ve heard of him!) and once the most powerful Great House in the city, lies in particular disarray, as Morningstar has been missing for decades. Fallen angels, alchemists, dragons, and witches vie for power, form fragile and ever-shifting alliances, and strive to prevent the total destruction of their Houses and their lives. Where to start (short-form): Oh, God, I want to say that you should start with the two “Dragons and Blades” novellas (Of Dragons, Feasts, and Murders and Of Charms, Ghosts, and Grievances), because they are so fun. Only, I fear that will do you a disservice, because there’s a pleasure in getting to know its protagonists gradually as you read through the main trilogy. My advice for this section is, therefore, twofold. If the main premise of this series sounds like something you would enjoy, try “Court of Birth, Court of Strength” (online here), wherein Asmodeus is asked for help. It’ll give you a good sense of the trilogy’s vibes and rules of engagement. If the main series doesn’t quite sound like your thing, for whatever reason, then start with Of Dragons, Feasts, and Murders. It’s just a really good time!  Where to start (long-form): Unlike most of de Bodard’s work, the main trilogy for this series really benefits by being read in order. The events of each book stand well on their own, but there’s character development and an expanding of the cast that just works better when you get to watch it grow. The first novel is The House of Shattered Wings, which tees up some of the major players for the trilogy and, crucially, introduces us to the fearsome Asmodeus. If for some reason you can’t get the books in order, de Bodard has—again with great kindness for the pitiful Jello brains of readers like me—written out guides to each of the first two books. Read these if: You think that Milton was of the devil’s party. You have watched more than five seasons of Supernatural. You like a good catacomb. Obsidian and Blood The Obsidian and Blood series follows the investigations of Acatl, a priest for the Dead in the Aztec (here called Mexica) city of Tenochtitlan. Any time there is a death in the city that seems to implicate the gods or the powers of the underworld, it’s Acatl’s responsibility to investigate, find out the truth, and propitiate the dark powers. These historical fantasies bring the Aztec Empire to vivid life, placing quotidian human dramas at the heart of epic political and religious struggle. The way to make a murder mystery hurt is to ensure that solving it brings more pain than leaving it alone would have. Acatl may wish to sidestep the burden of responsibility for telling the truth; but his strong moral compass and commitment to his god ensure that he never can. Where to start (short-form): Three short stories precede the trilogy of novels, and all of them are available to read on de Bodard’s website, where she’s also helpfully laid out the reading order. Of those, my favorite is “Safe, Child, Safe,” because it has a spooky child, a hairpin shift in sympathy, and a final line of dialogue from Acatl that’s absolutely killer. Where to start (long-form): Anywhere! These books are in many ways a classic murder mystery series, meaning that each of them is its own self-contained story. I advise starting with whichever book’s plot description sounds most appealing to you. My personal choice is Harbinger of the Storm, because it’s the most political machinations–forward, and I like political machinations; but there’s no bad choice to be made here. Read these if: You read your D’Aulaire’s to shreds as a kid and wished they had illustrated one for every place in the world. [end-mark] The post The Wonderful Worlds of Aliette de Bodard appeared first on Reactor.

If you’re trying to get into The First Descendant and come up against the account pending suspension 1204 message, you won’t be able to log into the game at all. There are a few ways to fix this problem, so give them a try. Account pending suspension error 1204 fix This error occurs because you have had a NEXON account in the past that has been inactive for too long. If you haven’t used it or logged in for ages, it will lock itself out, and you will need to request an account unlock from the company. This is a tedious process, but currently, the only way to fix the account pending suspension error 1204 in The First Descendant. If you want to submit a ticket to NEXON, you will need to take a screenshot of your error code and email it to support@billingpp.zendesk.com. You can also visit the NEXON support website to contact NEXON support. Make sure to include your username and all the details of your account. They will eventually get back to you and unlock your ...

The First Descendant can be a beautiful game if you notice the details. However, the shooter can still have graphical and performance problems. One of them is the lag and grainy textures which we’ll show you how to fix in The First Descendant. Table of contentsThe First Descendant: How to fix lag and grainy textures How to fix The First Descendant PC version lag and grainy texturesHow to fix The First Descendant consoles’ lag and grainy textures The First Descendant: How to fix lag and grainy textures  Image: NEXON Games Co., Ltd For shooters, The First Descendant can be graphically demanding which might result in issues such as lag appearing. Even if you have a powerful rig or the new consoles, there’s a huge chance of encountering problems. Thankfully, unlike the Twitch drops not working, this issue might be worked out on your end. Below, I’ll go over some easy tips to have The First Descendant not act up on PC and console. How to fix The First Des...

Magneto has made his long-awaited arrival into Fortnite and even comes with his own unique weapon. If you want a shot at unlocking him, let me show you how to complete every Magneto Quest. How to unlock Magneto in Fortnite The Magneto quests all give a decent amount of XP, but the real reason you want to do them is to earn Magneto and his Wasteland variant skins. You can view your Magneto quest progression through his dedicated tab in the quest menu. There are two pages of quests to complete if you want everything, so let me give you a hand, as a few of these tasks are pretty tricky! In this guide, I’ll explain every quest and any rewards: All Magneto page one quests in Fortnite Screenshot: PC Invasion I’ve already read multiple reports of players struggling with these quests, so let’s start with the toughest one first. How to collect Magneto Power in Fortnite Reward: Magneto’s Grasp Spray Magneto Power is a surprisingly rare weapon ...

Certain that bureaucrats know best, the modern administrative state has long labored to snuff out challenges to its actions. So, when Corner Post—a convenience store and truck stop in North Dakota—challenged a federal rule governing fees for debit-card transactions shortly after it opened for business, but years after the regulation had taken effect, the government argued that Corner Post had somehow shown up in court too late. Thankfully, the Supreme Court on Monday in Corner Post Inc. v. Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System had a different view of the matter. Every time someone swipes a debit card, the business involved must pay a fee to the bank to move money from the person’s account to the business’s. When debit card companies began to compete for banks’ business by raising these fees, Congress intervened with a law directing the Federal Reserve System to impose a cap on the fees and detailing the costs that the Fed’s Board of Governors was permitted to consider in determining that cap. When the Board proposed a cap of 12 cents per transaction, big banks balked—even though each transaction cost about 5 cents at the time. In response, the Board considered four costs not listed in the statute and revised the cap upwards to 21 cents per transaction. The Board also allowed an ad valorem factor of 0.05% of the transaction’s value, significantly raising the profits for banks—and the costs for businesses that accept debit cards. The Fed finalized the regulation in 2011. In March 2018, Corner Post opened for business and, like any other business, began accepting debit card payments. Three years later, Corner Post joined a lawsuit challenging the debit card fee cap based on the Board’s use of factors not permitted by statute. Under the Administrative Procedure Act, Corner Post had a right to seek judicial review of the Fed’s decision because it was a party “adversely affected or aggrieved by agency action.” But another statute, 28 U.S.C. § 2401(a), limits the time for filing civil lawsuits against the United States to “within six years after the right of action first accrues.” The government moved to dismiss Corner Post’s suit as untimely. Corner Post, the government argued, was harmed when the Board issued the final rule, meaning Corner Post should have sued no later than 2017—a year before it even was open for business. Because Corner Post could not otherwise challenge the rule, the government’s reading of Section 2401(a) would have left Corner Post without a remedy except to ask the Board to change the rule. Nevertheless, the district court granted the government’s motion and dismissed Corner Post’s case. The 8th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed, adopting the rule that a majority of other federal appellate courts also adopted: the clock for filing a lawsuit starts when an agency promulgates a regulation—even if the business, like Corner Post, doesn’t come into existence until after the deadline. The 8th Circuit’s decision deepened a split between the majority of courts and the 6th Circuit, which held the clock starts when the plaintiff is harmed, regardless of when the agency issued the relevant rule. Corner Post appealed and in a 6-3 opinion on Monday, the Supreme Court revived Corner Post’s lawsuit. Writing for the majority, Justice Amy Coney Barrett explained that a lawsuit that alleges an agency violated the Administrative Procedure Act by taking a final action (such as issuing a regulation) can be brought within six years of the plaintiff suffering a harm—even if that harm occurs more than six years after the agency took the challenged action. Definitions of the term “accrue” when Section 2401(a) was adopted demonstrate that the date that someone is harmed—not the date when the action is taken that causes the harm—starts the clock for filing a lawsuit. And when Congress wants the clock to start running at another date, Barrett noted, it explicitly says so. Justice Brett Kavanaugh concurred, writing separately to explain that Corner Post could obtain relief in this case because the Administrative Procedure Act allows vacatur. In other words, the Act allows someone who is not regulated, but is harmed—and thus can’t challenge the regulation any other way—to ask a court to hold unlawful and set aside an illegal agency action solely because the agency violated the Act when issuing the regulation. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, joined by Justices Sonya Sotomayor and Elena Kagan, dissented and argued that the majority’s reading “effectively” wiped out limits on when someone can challenge agency regulations. She also warned that a “tsunami” of lawsuits would be triggered by this case and the court’s decision Friday in Loper Bright (which rejected judicial deference to agencies’ interpretations of ambiguous statutes), and could “devastate the functioning of the Federal Government.” Corner Post might not be able to ride victorious into the sunset just yet. Its trip to the Supreme Court was just an effort to keep its case alive. But at the very least, the Supreme Court’s decision gives Corner Post the opportunity to challenge a legally flawed regulation. In the fight to rein in a rogue administrative state, that in itself is a victory. The post You Can Challenge Old Regulations Before the Government Sues You, Justices Rule appeared first on The Daily Signal.

That Was Quick: Trump Makes Immunity Claim to Throw Out Manhattan Conviction (Update)