'Deepfakes' in political ads spur federal lawsuit centering on the First Amendment.

By DARRELL EHRLICK | Editor-in-Chief

"We want to wean off of FEMA and we want to bring it down to the state level. We’re moving it back to the states so the governors can handle it. That’s why they’re governors. Now, if they can’t handle it, they shouldn’t be governor." – President Donald J. Trump on shifting more disaster relief to states.

President Donald Trump’s pick to become the next and newest federal judge in Montana, Kathleen “Katie” Lane has squeaked by the United States Senate Judiciary Committee, where she passed along a party-line vote. During her hearing, Democratic senators were frustrated by her, and the American Bar Association has said she is unqualified to be named to the bench, a lifetime appointment.

The United States Supreme Court has issued the now-famous “Callais” decision, which substantially changes the interpretation of the Voting Rights Act, especially when it comes to racial gerrymandering. That could change the districts and the voting maps for many areas, both in the South and beyond.

Speaking of gerrymandering, Black members of Congress have railed against the Callais decision, saying that it has weakened the voice of minorities and made it acceptable for state government to discriminate against minority voters.

U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly went to court again on Thursday. This time it was before a federal appellate court to defend his message to fellow soldiers and members of the Armed Services, whom he urged to “not give up the ship.” The question before the court was whether that speech — as a U.S. Senator and citizen — is entitled to protection from disciplinary action from the U.S. Department of Defense.

New recommendations by the Federal Emergency Management Agency say that states should be doing more in the aftermath of disasters. In fact, President Donald Trump has said that a majority of the effort to rebuild should be a state-led, not a project led by a federal agency. And the administration said that more of the cost should be picked up by the states.

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Well, if you are looking for an example of what the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision will mean for communities and what it will do, take a look at reporting from our friends at the Tennessee Lookout, who report that just days after the decision, the Legislature there has redrawn the boundaries of the Congressional districts, including carving up Memphis into three.

Most of the time the deadly hantavirus is spread through contact with rodents and their feces. However, there is a much rarer form of the disease that can be transmitted from human to human. And in a story that sounds like it was written straight from the dispatches of Hell, a cruise ship is stranded in the Atlantic Ocean as health officials try to figure out how to deal with the problem, according to the Smithsonian magazine.

The New York Times reports that the Department of Justice has released the so-called Jeffrey Epstein suicide note. A federal judge ordered the two-page letter released, but authorities are still trying to authenticate it.

Columnist George Ochenski says that without freedom of the press, especially to report on elected officials, there really is no freedom. But a new global survey shows that the health of American journalism is faltering.

Sometimes, it’s no surprise that certain songs get requested a lot. For example, we probably get a suggestion of “Masters of War” by Bob Dylan … a lot. And as much as we love that song (it’s one of the few songs that has been featured twice), the purpose is to share new or different music.

Other times, it’s almost like spending precious currency. Take for example, “For What It’s Worth,” and it’s legendary lyric: “There’s something happening here/What it is, ain’t exactly clear.” You could use that song nearly any day with any situation and have a logical tie-in that looks like it was just designed for that particular day’s news.

There are other songs that never quite find the right day because the song may be a little absurd or abstract. As fun as “Purple People Eater” by Sheb Wooley is, there are not a lot of purple people, and even if there are a few, they likely need medical attention, not to be eaten.

And then there’s a rare category in which you weren’t really expecting to be able to fit neatly into “The Hook,” but somehow — someway — it just happens. Those are great days. It’s even better when it happens of a Friday.

Since it was announced that Republicans in the U.S. Senate have embraced the idea of spending taxpayer money on the brainchild of Donald Trump, the White House ballroom, it’s been flooding the headlines, along with the billion-dollar price tag.

That’s led me to think about the 1973 song “Ballroom Blitz” by Sweet. The song doesn’t have anything to do with building a lavish addition onto the White House (as if any song does). Its genesis is an out-of-control show by the British band.

And as much as I like the song and the tie-in, it’s also performed by a band whom many of you request. In fact, their song “Jeepster” is one of the other few songs we’ve featured more than once.

If you have a song that you’d like to share, or would like to get in touch with us, please send us a note at [email protected]

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