Astrophysicist Professor Valentina Zharkova explains that the sun drives climate change instead of CO2‚ and because of its decreasing activity‚ we should be ready for a colder period. “CO2 is not a bad gas‚” says Valentina Zharkova‚ a professor at the Northumbria University in Newcastle‚ UK. On the contrary‚ she points out every garden center […] The post Astrophysicist: It’s the Sun‚ Not CO2 Causing Climate Change appeared first on www.independentsentinel.com.

Democrats saved Speaker Johnson’s $95 billion foreign aid plan after a GOP rebellion blocked it. Democrats took the unusual step of backing what they’re calling a partisan procedural vote‚ which tells us that Democrats desperately want this bill. The bill will be considered in four individual components on Saturday. Democrats bucked party norms to do […] The post Dems Save Speaker Johnson’s $95B Foreign Aid Package appeared first on www.independentsentinel.com.

With the rising costs of groceries‚ many Americans have taken to growing food at home. 43% of Americans are now growing food at their homes‚ up from 33% of Americans in 2019‚ according to the  National Gardening Association. “According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture‚ at-home food prices increased by 11.4% in 2022. In 2023‚ it increased by another 5.8%‚” Spectrum News noted. This week‚ Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell acknowledged that the Fed’s goal of diminishing inflation to 2% is proving more difficult to reach than heretofore projected. In March‚ for the third consecutive month‚ the core consumer price increased. It advanced 0.4% from February and 3.8% from the year before. “The recent data have clearly not given us greater confidence and instead indicate that is likely to take longer than expected to achieve that confidence‚” Powell said. “Given the strength of the labor market and progress on inflation so far‚ it is appropriate to allow restrictive policy further time to work and let the data and the evolving outlook guide us.” Powell has been blamed for saying interest-rate cuts would be forthcoming‚ thus catalyzing economic activity. “They just got the inflation picture wrong‚” Stephen Stanley‚ chief US economist at Santander US Capital Markets LLC‚ told Bloomberg. “The mistake they made was they got really enamored with the combination of really strong growth and benign inflation that we saw in the second half of last year.” Another cause of stubborn inflation has been the lack of available housing. Some homeowners grabbed inexpensive mortgage rates during the pandemic and now are reluctant to move. A third possible cause: insurance costs. “Tenants’ and household insurance is rising at the fastest rate in nine years‚ while auto insurance skyrocketed 22.2% in the year through March‚ the most since 1976‚” Bloomberg noted. Powell “is entertaining the possibility that disinflation has indeed stalled‚ and that the bar for cutting rates may have increased‚” Anna Wong‚ chief US economist at Bloomberg Economics‚ commented. “That raises the risk that there won’t be a rate cut this year‚ if the unemployment rate is little changed from today.”

The Supreme Court on Wednesday made a decision that has largely flown under the radar‚ but has big implications for employers who have diversity‚ equity‚ and inclusion (DEI) programs. The Supreme Court ruled 9-0 in favor of St. Louis Police Sergeant Jatonya Clayborn Muldrow‚ who sued the St. Louis Police Department (SLPD) after she was transferred from one department to another against her wishes. Muldrow worked for nearly 10 years in the SLPD’s specialized Intelligence Division‚ but in 2017‚ the new Intelligence Division commander requested she be transferred from the unit so she could be replaced with a man. The request was approved and Muldrow was transferred to a position where she was now “supervising the day-to-day activities of neighborhood patrol officers‚” instead of working in the Intelligence Division. While her rank and pay remained the same‚ her job changed and she lost the use of an unmarked take-home vehicle‚ as well as a more regular schedule where she had weekends off. Muldrow sued‚ claiming she was discriminated against because she was a woman‚ a violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. A lower court found she had not been discriminated against because she did not show that she had been “significantly” harmed by the transfer‚ so Muldrow appealed‚ eventually getting her case before the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court determined that there was no threshold for harm‚ and that someone alleging discrimination “does not have to show … that the harm incurred was significant. Or serious‚ or substantial‚ or any similar adjective.” Typically‚ Title VII prohibits employers from discriminating on the basis of “race‚ color‚ religion‚ sex‚ or national origin” when it comes to “compensation‚ terms‚ conditions‚ or privileges.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP With the Supreme Court decision stating that an employee doesn’t have to show “significant” harm‚ many have taken the new ruling to mean it will be easier for women and minorities to sue based on alleged discrimination. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)‚ for example‚ touted the ruling as “a huge victory for workers and workplace equality.” But some conservatives have noted that this ruling could make it easier to sue employers who have DEI programs that favor women and minorities. The Daily Signal noted that it’s “fashionable for corporate employers to create race- and sex-based employment conditions and privileges as part of their DEI initiatives.” The outlet pointed to LinkedIn’s “employee resource groups‚” which provide mentoring and training programs for “systemically marginalized” groups. The outlet suggests that these programs would fall under the “privileges of employment‚” mentioned under Title VII‚ and that the additional pay given to leaders of these groups would count as “compensation” under the law. The ACLU pushed back on this notion‚ with Ming-Qi Chu‚ the deputy director of the organization’s Women’s Rights Project‚ dismissing the idea as “fearmongering.” “The fearmongering of DEI opponents has no basis in law and fundamentally misunderstands how most DEI programs work. The purpose of DEI and other remedial workplace programs is to improve the process by which employment decisions are made and close the gap in opportunities among workers. They do not disadvantage any particular worker. This is why they have long been held lawful. These scare-tactics are trying to chill employers’ commitment and investment in expanding workplace opportunity. We won’t let them‚” she said in the ACLU’s statement regarding the Supreme Court decision.

President Joe Biden told a group of supporters earlier this week at a campaign event in Scranton‚ Pennsylvania‚ that he often sees 7- and 8-year-olds flipping him the bird while he’s driving through neighborhoods or rural towns. While speaking at a campaign event in his hometown on Tuesday‚ the president decried yard signs that say “F Biden” and then said that he often witnesses young children giving him the middle finger. “I’ve never thought I’d see a time when I’m going through a — a neighborhood or a rural town that’s in the West and see big signs that have a Trump sign in the middle that says ‘F Biden’ and having a little kid standing with his middle finger — seven years old‚ eight years old‚” Biden said. “Well‚ I promise‚ it happens all the time. It’s not who we are‚” he added. Biden Says Little Kid Gave Him a Middle Finger: ‘It Happens All the Time’ pic.twitter.com/XYqU0xvybK — Sean Hannity 🇺🇸 (@seanhannity) April 19‚ 2024 Biden’s remarks on children flipping him off followed comments he made on why he jumped into the presidential race in 2020. The president‚ as he has done numerous times in the past‚ cited the Charlottesville‚ Virginia‚ car attack in August 2017 as why he ran for president against Trump. In the attack‚ a young woman was killed by a man who drove his car through a large crowd of people who were protesting a white supremacist rally in the town. “And my future opponent‚ my present opponent — they asked him what he thought of it. He said there were ‘very good people on both sides‚'” Biden said of Trump. “And I’m going to say something that may sound outrageous to you‚ but I thought … he’s the antithesis of everything I believe‚ and I thought I could beat him. And that’s why I ran.” The president then added that it doesn’t matter to him if a person’s political philosophy is “Left‚ Right‚ or center.” “But it matters about whether or not you’re going to abide by the basic rules‚ you’re going to have a sense of decency‚” said Biden. CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP As the 2024 presidential campaign has heated up in recent months‚ Biden has ramped up his criticism of Trump and his supporters‚ arguing that his political opponent is a “threat” to the country.