Comment on Obama marks Africa’s promise, problems

Beirut was the place to be if you were an action-junkie journalist in the 1980s. Civil War. Militias, the PLO, an Israeli invasion, the occupation of Lebanon. Car Bombings. Truck bombings. And more. It was an exotic city with an ancient corniche winding along the Mediterranean to the snow-capped Shouf mountains some 30 miles away.

Since last week, at Columbia University—as students have gathered to protest the war in Gaza and call for the university to divest from companies with ties to Israel’s military campaign—the college radio station, WKCR, has taken on a new role: near-constant news. It has suspended its usual programming and doggedly covered the demonstrations on campus.

This story was originally published by the Guardian and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. Joe Biden marked Monday’s Earth Day by announcing a $7 billion investment in solar energy projects nationwide, focusing on disadvantaged communities, and unveiling a week-long series of what the White House say will be “historic climate actions.” The president was speaking at Prince William Forest Park, in Triangle, Virginia, touting his environmental record and unveiling measures to tackle the climate crisis and increase access to, and lower costs of, clean energy. The centerpiece was the announcement of $7 billion in grants through the Environmental Protection Agency’s “solar for all” program, funded by last year’s $369 billion Inflation Reduction Act, and which Biden said will benefit hundreds of thousands of mostly low-income families who currently spend up to 30 percent of their income on energy. “These awards across the country [are to] states, territories, tribal governments, municipalities and nonprofits to develop programs to enable low income and disadvantaged communities to benefit from residential solar power.

Fresh off a historic vote to advance a ban on many high-powered, semi-automatic guns, the Colorado House approved three more gun-related bills over the weekend — sending them across the Capitol for another round of debate. Those votes on Saturday were followed Monday by the state Senate’s final approval for two other gun reform bills dealing with concealed-carry permits and firearms storage in vehicles. The House’s Saturday votes — on bills concerning gun dealer licensing, insurance requirements for gun owners, and taxes on sales of guns and ammunition — relied on support only from Democrats, though varying numbers of the majority caucus opposed each bill, joining Republicans. The party splits were similar for Monday’s votes in the Senate. The legislature’s Democrats this year have embraced gun control and reform measures as they seek to reduce gun violence, advancing a slate of bills that would add new restrictions while also seeking to better enforce existing laws.

(WASHINGTON, D. C.) — The Supreme Court agreed on Monday to take up a Biden administration appeal over the regulation of difficult-to-trace ghost guns that had been struck down by lower courts. The justices by a 5-4 vote had previously intervened to keep the regulation in effect during the legal fight.