Texas Plans To Sue Google for Alleged Anticompetitive Behavior

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Wednesday that he will soon file a multistate antitrust lawsuit against Google and its advertising business, alleging that the company has stifled competition and enjoys “monopolistic power.” From a report: In a tweet, Paxton said the lawsuit will be filed on Wednesday. “This goliath of a company is using its power to manipulate the market,…

Are America’s Hospitals Becoming Overwhelmed?

New Mexico’s governor announced plans to allow hospitals “to ration care depending on a patient’s likelihood of surviving,” according to the Washington Post. But in fact, many of America’s hospitals are now “overwhelmed,” reports CBS News, adding “A record-breaking 227,00 new cases were reported in the U.S. on Friday alone — the first time the daily case count has topped 220,000,…

Clovis made stone tools for only around 300 years

The Clovis, some of North America’s earliest inhabitants, only made stone tools during a brief 300-year period from 13,050 to 12,750 years ago, new research shows. Source: https://earthsky.org/human-world/clovis-stone-tools-300-years…

Someone Bought a T. Rex Skeleton for a Record-Breaking $31.8 Million

The remains of a Tyrannosaurus rex that lived some 67 million years ago have been sold at auction for $31.8 million, a world record for a fossilized dinosaur. From a report: The near-complete T. rex skeleton, named “Stan,” now belongs to an anonymous buyer who secured the milestone bid at the “20th Century Evening Sale” held Tuesday at Christie’s in New…

A Utah Company Claims It Invented Contact Tracing Tech

In the fight against Covid-19, contact tracing apps have so far largely been disappointments — in the United States, at least. Proposed in the spring as a way to help quickly stifle viral outbreaks by tracking down potential exposures using smartphones, they were stunted by technical glitches, concerns over privacy, and the US’s fragmented, haphazard pandemic response. Now, they may become…

Wildfire sunsets and sunrises

The western half of North America is getting some spectacular sunrises and sunsets now, as wildfires rage. Photos here from the EarthSky Community. Source: https://earthsky.org/todays-image/photos-wildfire-sunsets-us-west-aug-sep-2020…

Hundreds of Armed US Counter-Protesters Fall for ‘Apparent Hoax’

Yesterday as America celebrated its Independence Day, the Washington Post reports something unusual happened at the historic Civil War battefield at Gettysburg: For weeks, a mysterious figure on social media talked up plans for antifa protesters to converge on this historical site on Independence Day to burn American flags, an event that seemed at times to border on the farcical… There…

In America, Only Three States Use Google-Apple Contact Tracing App

NBC News reports that in various parts of America, “States that had committed to using contact tracing apps or expressed interest are now backing away from those claims.”
The few states that have rolled them out have seen only tepid responses. And there are no indications of any momentum for the apps at a national level… A survey of state health officials…