NEWS you may have missed! (and Award Winning Maine Photos)

There's good news and not-so-good news, and well, there are idiots. It's a regular day! Here's some news you may have missed...and Thanks to Downeast Magazine, I've included some of their award-winning Maine photos !

GOOD NEWS! - US weekly jobless claims drop to 187,000; figure from last week is the lowest since September 2022

PANAMA CANAL SERIOUS DROUGHT Panama Canal officials announced Wednesday they would reduce the daily number of vessels allowed to transit the shipping passage to 24, down from the average of 36 this time last year, amid severe drought conditions. Estimated losses from the cutbacks are expected to cost Panama nearly $700M this year and have domino effects on global shipping.

Finally!! - TRUMP CONCEDES FOR THE FIRST TIME THAT HIS ACTIONS MAY HAVE BEEN ILLEGAL In an all-caps, 2 a.m. social media rant about the Jan. 6 case, Donald Trump said he deserved total immunity even for things that "CROSS THE LINE." Lawyers say it's not exactly an admission of guilt, although: “Hard to understand the rantings of a lunatic, but maybe,” said one prominent defense lawyer. [HuffPost]

MORE GOOD NEWS! US average 30-year fixed mortgage rate drops to 6.6% per Freddie Mac’s weekly reading, lowest level since May 2023

PHOTO:  DOWNEAST MAGAZINE: Reader's Choice photos from Downeast Magazine, Maine: Wildlife #2: Moose near Moosehead Lake

**Idiot of the week - Why would pardoning this criminal HEAL anyone? It would send a message that vindicitive, hateful, selfish criminals are okay to do what they do. * -   NIKKI HALEY: PARDONING A CONVICTED TRUMP WOULD BE 'HEALING' FOR COUNTRY  -  Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley said at a CNN town hall that she wouldn't preemptively pardon Trump should she become president. She said, "Everything needs to play out," with the multitude of legal cases against him before she would.

PHOTO:  DOWNEAST MAGAZINE PHOTO Readers’ Choice Landscape, Kody Theriault | Liberty, Maine Taken in Bristol, Maine. Lupine season is always a treat on the midcoast. While my husband and I were waiting for the sun to set over Bristol, we made a quick detour to Round Pond. The town has a small nature preserve aptly named Lupine Field. The field is gorgeous and filled with not only lupines, but also other wildflowers that fill the shore with color.)

REPUBLICANS DIVIDED ON WHETHER TRUMP CAN BE PROSECUTED FOR CRIMES Senate Republicans appeared to be divided on whether a president should have full immunity from prosecution, as Trump has argued. “What if the ex-president commits murder — then he can’t be charged?” asked Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.). “That seems weird, right? That seems problematic.”

**Way to live in peace with others, NOT. Another idiot. *** NETANYAHU: NO PALESTINIAN STATE IN ANY SCENARIO Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he opposes the establishment of a Palestinian state as part of any postwar scenario. The U.S. has said it should be part of "the day after.

PHOTO:   (DOWNEAST MAGAZINE: Readers’ Choice Wildlife Chris L’Abbé | Topsham, Maine. Photo Taken in Brunswick, ME It’s much easier to spot owls when the leaves are off the trees, and this past winter, I often found barred owls hunting. One evening, I spied this fluffy little owl walking up a roof, and I watched for at least half an hour as it sort of marched along, flew around, and hunted. In fact, I found its movement pretty comical, and I laughed out loud. Looking back at this photo, I’m excited to hopefully see the owls again this winter.)