Bird of the Week – Ruddy Turnstone
WC was in Peru earlier this month, and saw a Ruddy Turnstone there, 13° south of the equator. The bird quite possibly had flown south from Alaska. The comparatively small shorebird has a very long migration. (Actually, this bird if a bit of a puzzle. Photographed in late May, it should have been in more gaudy breeding plumage. Maybe it didn’t get the memo?) (You can see how much snappier these fellows look) Pluages issues aside, this is a tough little bird, one of the most northerly breeding species, with an epic migration. It’s holarctic, meaning it occurs in the…
Photos: Trump Lands in Kinston, North Carolina
Donald Trump landed his plane in Hurricane Matthew slammed Kinston, North Carolina Wednesday night to a crowd of enthusiastic supporters that numbered in the thousands. It was a smaller audience than i was used to seeing at Trump rallies but still a surprising crowd for a 7pm rally in a town that just a week ago had been evacuated. Trump gave his stump speech of calling for Secretary Clinton to be jailed but didn’t tell the crowd that the election would be rigged.
Fact Check of a ‘Fact Check’: Bill Clinton and NAFTA
I know it’s the last two weeks of the Presidential campaign, so truth and facts have a tendency to go by the wayside for political expediency. As a child of the 90’s, one of my earliest political memories was the advent of NAFTA. It was then I decided that I could never go into electoral politics as this was touted as an example of the two political parties working together. Supposedly liberal President Bill Clinton worked with the Republican Party, and passed the agreement that the Republican’s could have never dreamed to actually get passed and signed alone. In response to the…
Talking with Trump Supporters: Julie from Greensboro
I’m releasing these interviews unedited – as I promised to the interviewees – so that nothing could be taken out of context or put in a different one. Please excuse the audio as music is always blasting at Trump/Pence rallies so there was little I could do on that front. -Zach I spoke to Julie before a Governor Mike Pence rally in Greensboro, North Carolina. Julie is a nurse from Greensboro, North Carolina. She originally supported Ted Cruz, but moved over to Donald Trump when he secured the nomination. She’s a Christian and that seems to define her reasons for voting…
Photos: Gov. Mike Pence In North Carolina
Amongst the hurricane of controversies surrounding GOP Presidential candidate Donald Trump, his running mate is an eye in the storm. Focusing mainly on Hillary Clinton’s e-mail scandal Pence gave a speech in Greensboro, North Carolina, Monday night. Many of the signs being waved at this Trump/Pence rally were bright pink ones that read “Women for Trump.” In fact at this rally a cursory count showed an even number of women and men, once the event began. That didn’t stop the audience from yelling the usual phrases, though – “lock her up” was chanted more than once. I’ll have video interviews from the…
Mothers of the Movement Join Hillary in Raleigh
Sunday in Raleigh, North Carolina Hillary Clinton was joined by the ‘Mothers of the Movement’ – mothers who have lost children and family members to gun violence and police killings. In front of a crowd of thousands at St. Augustine’s University, a historically black college Hillary and the mothers called upon everyone to vote and vote early. The five Mothers did not discuss their sons outside of mentioning their names. Secretary Clinton called for better police and citizen relationships, while not offering specific programs or ideas to further this. A dozen or so members of Moms Demand Action were also in…
The Wall Comes to Virginia: Protests at Trump’s Regent University Rally
On Saturday in Virginia Beach, Virginia I spoke with Susan Mariner outside of Donald Trump’s Regent University rally. She was joined with several other women clad in white brick painted jump suits that had some interesting words on them then. Watch the video below to find out just why she’s wearing “Disgusting Animal” on her chest.
Battle for Survival Doesn’t Stop at Home for Veterans
Some weeks are spent spinning wheels, reading documents and APOC reports, listening to terrible talk radio recordings, trying to make sense of candidates who just don’t add up. I’ve spent a lot of time trying to figure out the hinky nature of a South Anchorage Senate candidate, Natasha von Imhof. Why is the governor’s office being so super secret about the tax settlement with her business and why was it announced the day after the primary? Why does her story keep changing? I have a table full of flowcharts, and none of it makes a lick of sense. I first…
Bird of the Week – Short-billed Dowitcher
WC overlooked the Short-billed Dowitcher when posting its close cousin, the Long-billed Dowitcher, back in August 2015. It can be pretty tough to tell a Long-billed from a Short-billed. Location helps: if you are on the coast, it’s more likely a Short-billed; if you are further from the ocean, it’s more likely a Long-billed. Bill length and coloration vary a lot. The calls are different, but both Dowitchers spend most of their time in a frenzied feeding, their bills probed full length in the mud, like a busy sewing machine. Dowtichers are not well-studied. Even their name is a puzzle….
LIVE BLOG: The FINAL (Ever?) Presidential Debate
So here we go. The final debate of this insane election year. All times are Eastern. 9:03: Apologies, we’re watching on Fox, as that’s who’s moderating. 9:05 – Chris Wallace is live in Las Vegas… because what better city to decide our democracy. Hillary’s rocking a white pantsuit and Trump is shockingly wearing a suit. 9:06 – Question is on supreme court and the constitution. This should be fun. Hillary: SCOTUS needs to stand up for the people, women and against Citizen’s United. Not reverse marriage equality… Supreme court should represent all of us. She asks the Senate to confirm…