A former Trump campaign official has withdrawn from consideration for a job at the U.S. Department of Agriculture after being pulled into the imbroglio over Russia's interference efforts against the U.S. in the 2016 presidential race. Sam Clovis said on Thursday that he would not go forward in trying to become the USDA's undersecretary for research, education and economics. That news followed a quick series of connected developments in the Russia investigation being conducted by the Department of Justice special counsel: first, a guilty plea — announced Monday —by a former campaign adviser who worked for Clovis, and then, reports that Clovis has been interviewed by special counsel Robert Mueller's team in the Russia case and also testified before a Washington, D.C., grand jury. George Papadopoulos, the foreign policy adviser who has pleaded guilty, was approached by Russian agents early in his tenure and offered "dirt" on Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton and meetings with Russian

Republicans had watched Donald Trump unleash powerful forces inside their party for more than a year. On Election Day last year, the question for many inside the GOP was how to deal with those forces once Trump had lost. Few had figured out what it would mean for the party if he won. Democrats were planning. There were lists of cabinet secretaries and the challenge of breaking the deadlock that set in between President Obama and the GOP Congress once President Hillary Clinton was in office. Few had figured out what it would mean for the party if she lost. Over the past year, Republicans have struggled to come together and govern effectively. Democrats have struggled to unite around a common cause, or move on from bitter infighting. But both parties may finally be figuring out how to exist in the Trump era. Republicans 'No if, ands or buts,' it's Trump's party New York Rep. Chris Collins made the smartest bet of his political career when he became the first House Republican to endorse

Award-winning Women of Substance Radio celebrates talented female performers of every genre with great songs. The music we feature is vocally excellent, has depth of character and emotion, and has lyrics that leave a lasting impression. WOS Radio has been around for 10 years and has become the trusted source for quality music by female artists in all genres for both listeners and Industry pros.

Our #1 New & Noteworthy Podcast can be heard on iTunes, YouTube, Tunein, Stitcher and many more popular platforms every 3-4 times per week.. Heard by over 10,000 monthly listeners and promoted to our social media base of over 60,000, the show is nearing 300,000 downloads and is continuing to grow. The Podcast features all Indie artists including interesting tidbits about the artists and the songs. Check it out at www.wospodcast.com or on iTunes or the Mobile Podcast App for Apple devices. Visit our website for more info at www.wosradio.com

We have many outlets available for promoting our Indies like you including our Video Blog and in-show advertising spots. Visit our website to find out more: www.WOSRadio.com

We are taking song submissions from quality Independent Artists in all genres so submit your music today for consideration.

Female artists, female fronted bands or female vocalists only please.

Please note that we are using the song to opportunity match (S₂O). If you are a male performer and the song matched yours it is because it sounded like the seed songs but it can not match by gender.

The post houses and advertising agencies we work with seem to have a never ending demand for covers of popular songs. Therefor, we would like to broaden our catalog with inventive cover versions of compositions that have been big worldwide hits.

We are not looking for interpretations trying to imitate the original. We are seeking just the opposite - new takes on well known songs which transport them to new, unexpected directions. Covers are usually considered for film trailers and big ad campaigns, so it would be great to hear submissions that have space and a “cinematic” sound. However, if you have a dynamic, aggressive cover of a slow song, that could work too.

Below are some brilliant examples of what we would like to hear:
- Skylar Grey - Addicted To Love
- Vega Choir - Creep
- Lo-Fang - You’re The One That I Want
- Hannah Peel - Tainted Love
- Think Up Anger feat. Malia J - Smells Like Teen Spirit
- Lorde - Everybody Wants To Rule The World
- KI Theory - Enjoy The Silence

Please submit only professionally recorded and mastered songs.

As an added bonus, if your cover is Selected, we will offer to release your music on Filter Label. The songs by our talented artists can be heard in The OA, Exatlon, The Matrix Revisited, CSI: Las Vegas, Nikita, on ads for McDonald's, Nike, Philip Morris, Nestle Wagner, Bank Millennium, in shows on MTV, CNN, Nat Geo, NBC, Al Jazeera, Esquire, Channel 4 and almost every major TV network in the world.

- Emil Hadji Panzov Founder / CEO - Filter Label

A father, mother, and nine kids arrive in St. Louis circa 1840, knowing no one. What options would they have had? Would tenements have been their only choice?

I'm in the US PNW. I have to use or lose a week of PTO. I'd like to go to warm. I'm 50s, widowed, a people person who values awe, adventure and connection. Hiking in the SW? Snorkeling in Mexico? An organized tour? And are there cool online communities to find like-minded travel buddies? I don't love that I'm alone now, but it is what it is. I have many awesome people in my life, but like me they work. In my youth, I didn't hesitate to travel solo and I would often end up connecting with cool people at hostels, and then we would set out together on hikes or city explorations. In my 50s, I don't imagine that going the same way.

Ideas on my radar right now:
-fly into Phoenix and rent an equipped camper for eight days of driving and hiking in the vicinity of Sedona and Grand Canyon. I am hyper aware that 30 years ago I would have done this without any worries regarding personal safety. I'm less carefree/more aware now, and I do have some concerns about boondock camping alone...so may compromise with traditional campgrounds. Apart from that, I don't at all mind hiking alone, but I do wonder if I will get lonely.
-some sort of organized tour to guarantee not so alone... possibly to Mexico, and possibly to swim and snorkel. I do like good food and cultural experiences. My Spanish is terrible, but it will get me to the baño.
-some kind of... Dance camp? Craft camp?

I'm not a cruise person.
I do want to spend at least part of the time moving my body.
The best time for this is in October after the 20th.

The aim of this lesson is to show the link between the sanctuary, God’s law, the Sabbath, and the coming crisis over the mark of the beast. We will also explore the relevance of the Sabbath to an end-time generation. *Study this week’s lesson, based on chapters 25–27 of The Great Controversy.

In this quarter’s final lesson, we will see Christ’s steadfast love during the most exciting time in the history of the universe and His complete and total triumph in the great controversy between good and evil. The Bible’s last book, Revelation, gives us hope for today, tomorrow, and forever. *Study this week’s lesson, based on chapters 39-42 of The Great Controversy.

This week's first step will be to learn about Mark as reported in Scripture, to see his early failure and eventual recovery. Then the study will turn to the opening section of Mark with a look forward to where the story is headed and a look backward at why a failed and then restored missionary would write such a text.

The Gospel of Mark recounts the calling of four disciples and describes a Sabbath in Capernaum and what followed. This “Sabbath with Jesus” at the beginning of Mark gives the reader a sense of who Jesus is. In the entire section for this week’s lesson there are very few of His words recorded: a brief call to discipleship, a command to a demon, a plan to visit other locations, and the healing of a leper with instructions to show himself before a priest to be clean. The emphasis is on action, particularly healing people. The Gospel writer likes to use the word immediately to illustrate the fast-action movement of Jesus’ ministry.

This week’s lesson looks at three of Jesus’ greatest signs of His divinity. What is striking is that in every case some people did not believe the miracle or perceive its significance. For some it was a time of turning away from Jesus; for others, a time for deepening blindness; and for others, a time to plot Jesus’ death. And, for others—a time to believe that Jesus was the Messiah.

This week begins with the powerful witness of John the Baptist. Other witnesses come on the stage as well: Andrew and Simon Peter, Philip and Nathaniel, and a most unexpected witness, the Pharisee Nicodemus. But another witness stands back in the shadows (that other disciple with Andrew, in John 1:35, 40)—John himself.

At the time of Christ, this animosity continued. The Jews avoided Samaria as much as possible. Though commerce may have gone on, other interaction was taboo. The Jews would not borrow from Samaritans or even receive a favor from them. Within this context, John recounts the encounter between Jesus, the woman by the well, and the people of the Samaritan city of Sychar.

Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit NOEL KING, HOST: The effects of the coronavirus pandemic are being felt all over, even underwater. (SOUNDBITE OF WHALE SINGING) KING: That's a humpback whale singing in Glacier Bay, Alaska. Scientists are finding the oceans have been quieter as shipping traffic has fallen. Here's NPR's Lauren Sommer. LAUREN SOMMER, BYLINE: A lot of scientists have had to cancel their field work this year, but not Christine Gabriele. She can work all alone in a boat on Glacier Bay. On a cool rainy morning, she spots what she's looking for and captures it on her smartphone. CHRISTINE GABRIELE: Yeah, there are about five whales working this one little area, breathing when they're up. (SOUNDBITE OF WHALE BREATHING) SOMMER: They're humpback whales. GABRIELE: It looks to me like they might be feeding on some schools of fish. (SOUNDBITE OF WHALE BREATHING) SOMMER: Gabriele is a wildlife biologist with Glacier Bay National Park. For 35 years, the park service has been

Copyright 2020 West Virginia Public Broadcasting. To see more, visit West Virginia Public Broadcasting .

It can be expensive to install rooftop solar panels, but they do pay for themselves over time. Not only does it save on energy costs, but a new University of Michigan study says the value of rooftop solar panels will continue to increase. It will also be vital as the climate continues to warm, and we will need more energy to keep cool. WEMU's David Fair was joined by U-M Energy Systems Assistant Professor Dr. Michael Craig to learn more about the research.

The Ann Arbor Public Schools' innovative Environmental Education program is 55 years old now and, throughout that time, has connected students to the natural environment. For 38 of those years, Dave Szczygiel has worked as a teacher and, for over two decades, as Environmental Education Consultant in the district. Now, he is retiring. He looks back and looks at what’s to come with WEMU's David Fair.

The popular Potawatomi Trail is about to get an environmental facelift. The hiking and biking trail connects Washtenaw and Livingston Counties and is about to get about $500,000 in upgrades. WEMU's David Fair spoke with Pinckney Recreation Area park manager, Chuck Dennison, to learn what that is going to look like.

The Michigan fuel tax is no longer sufficient to fund needed road repairs and maintenance. As more electric vehicles hit the streets, the tax will raise less money, but the need for road and bridge revenue will only increase. Conversations are underway about alternative possibilities. WEMU's David Fair talks about what that might look like with Denise Donohue, CEO of the County Road Association of Michigan.

Ann Arbor officials says some of the trees in the city are dying, and they attribute it to leaks in the DTE Energy natural gas infrastructure. The utility says it is not the problem. The city is asking DTE to conduct necessary repairs, while the utility argues it would be cost prohibitive to contract an arborist to evaluate potential methane damage to trees. What comes next? WEMU's David Fair discussed it with Ann Arbor Sustainability and Innovations Director, Missy Stults.

It’s that time of year, but each year, it seems to come a little earlier. Toxic algae blooms are starting to cover Lake Erie earlier than usual this summer. This year’s blooms are also expected to be bigger than last summer. WEMU's David Fair takes a look at the impacts of climate change on the blooms in Lake Erie with Dr. Richard Stumpf from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

PFAS contamination has already been a significant concern. Now, there may be reason to add to the worry. A study funded by the Ann Arbor-based Ecology Center finds there is an array of PFAS chemical profiles in rainwater falling over Ann Arbor and Southeast Michigan. WEMU's David Fair spoke with the center’s Erica Bloom about the findings and what it means to the environment and public health.

Washtenaw County put three ballot issues before voters in Tuesday's primary elections. All three touch on components of our environment. All three passed by a wide margin. WEMU's David Fair discusses the results and future impacts with Washtenaw County Commissioner Yousef Rabhi.

We all know that air pollution is bad for the environment and our health. A new study out of the University of Michigan now shows that it is contributing to a loss of independence among older adults. The study also shows that the economic impact of that loss comes in at an estimate of over $11 billion. WEMU's David Fair spoke with the lead author of the study, Dr. Sara Adar, about the findings.

America sure loves its electronics! The technologies continue to improve and there can be no question; it has made life more convenient. However, these items contain a number of contaminants and are an environmental hazard. WEMU's David Fair talked with Washtenaw County’s Director of Public Works, Theo Eggermont about increased efforts to recycle used electronics.

You may not have noticed, but the Ann Arbor Climate Corps has been quietly working this year to combat the affects of climate change and help the city achieve its goal of carbon neutrality by 2030. The program is designed to increase the Ann Arbor Office of Sustainability’s outreach capacity and help residents take action toward that end. WEMU's David Fair talked it over with Ann Arbor Climate Corps program manager, Maggie Halpern.

The Ann Arbor School District is transitioning away from the use of fossil fuels. The district was the first to sign up for DTE Energy’s MIGreen Power Program to get to 100% use of renewable energy, and the district will add four more all-electric school buses this academic year. WEMU's David Fair spoke with the Ann Arbor Schools' Director of Capital Programs, Jason Bing, about where the district is today and where it’s headed.

The first frost of the season probably isn’t too far away. Properly preparing the agricultural soil for next spring and summer is a matter of timing. Getting the cover crops in place is essential before a hard freeze occurs. The Washtenaw County Conservation District is working to make it convenient and effective for local farmers. Conservation technician Matt Dejonge explained it all in his conversation with WEMU's David Fair.

It's time to talk some trash! The 3rd annual Trash Talk Tour in Washtenaw County is right around the corner. Trash Talk Tour co-organizer and zerowaste.org executive director Samuel McMullen joined WEMU's David Fair with a special brand of "trash talk."

Some of Ann Arbor's streetlights can be distractingly bright. New LED lighting is helping with the city’s A2Zero Climate Action plan, but some worry over increased light pollution. WEMU's David Fair talked with Ann Arbor City Council member Dharma Akmon about how the city can move forward while addressing sustainability and accommodating public concern.

The world population is going up, and human-wildlife overlap is increasing. That can lead to negative outcomes, including spread of disease and species extinction. There can be benefits, too, but it will require some planning. That's the focus of a new study out of the University of Michigan. WEMU's David Fair spoke with Associate Professor in Conservation Science Dr. Neil Carter about the study and what can be done right here in Washtenaw County.

Over the summer, the Huron River Watershed Council conducted an extensive survey of freshwater mussels in the Huron River to determine potential impacts when the Peninsular Paper Dam is removed. It found that removing the Pen Dam could release sediment, potentially smothering downstream mussel populations. Once the dam is removed, though, the river will return to a more natural state, benefiting mussel species over time. WEMU's David Fair looked at the research and its implications with Huron River Watershed Council Ecologist Dr. Paul Steen.

Tree Town is looking to find new and productive ways to avoid wasting wood. The City of Ann Arbor is partnering with the company “Urban Ashes” to repurpose storm-damaged and diseased trees. We often discuss the ecological benefits of planting and maintaining trees but rarely look at the environmental impact wood can have once it’s down. Urban Ashes CEO Paul Hickman joined WEMU's David Fair to look at the partnership, how it will work and the benefits it can provide.

The University of Michigan is forging ahead and working towards being a leader in generative artificial intelligence with its U-M-GPT program. As it does, there are environmental concerns to be addressed. The initiative is part of Michigan’s broader effort to integrate AI into its academic and administrative infrastructure, enhancing learning, teaching, and research. But, AI consumes a great deal of energy. WEMU's David Fair spoke with the Vice President for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer at U-M, Dr. Ravi Pendse, about how U-M is dealing with the environmental ramifications of AI.

Washtenaw County has elected its next Water Resources Commissioner. Evan Pratt decided against running for re-election after serving four terms. Former Saline Mayor and State Representative Gretchen Driskell won the race. She joined WEMU's David Fair to discuss the priorities and challenges of the new job.

More or less on time! New theme song! We talk about heating up water and heating up ourselves. cortex read a lot of MetaFilter this month, Jessamyn's still reading old FanFare threads. Runs about 82 minutes.

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We may think about food all the time, but when is the last time you thought about what your food sounded like?

Atlanta’s first Major League Soccer team plays its inaugural game Sunday to a sold out crowd. Atlanta United hosts one of the league’s founding clubs, the well-established New York Red Bulls. It’ll be a tough contest for the fledgling Atlanta team. Yesterday, I drove out to Flowery Branch to see how they’re playing and feeling ahead of their first game. About three dozen soccer players are scrimmaging in small groups of six at their practice facility about an hour north of Atlanta. They run constantly, quickly passing a ball between themselves in square “fields” demarcated by small orange cones. Sharp-eyed coaches walk around blowing whistles and yelling feedback. The players and coaches communicate seamlessly in English and Spanish. "There’s a few coaches who speak English and Spanish as well so they just translate here and there." 19-year-old defender Miles Robinson is from Massachusetts, but says he’s used to an international work environment. The Atlantic Coast Conference’s 2016

An Atlanta entrepreneur is the subject of a new documentary television series premiering Tuesday on Viceland. On Sunday, about 100 Atlanta Film Festival audience members gathered at Dad's Garage Theater for a somewhat surprise screening of the Ondi Timoner project. "We planned this 48 hours ago," said Timoner. "It makes perfect sense for us to be here because Jimmy's from Atlanta." Timoner's camera follows Jimmy Stice, a small staff of mostly Americans, and a few hundred millennial interns who are building a sustainable town called Kalu Yala from scratch in the middle of the jungle. Kalu Yala means "sacred village" in the Kuna language. "We're building a town to look for the best ways we can live in terms of compassionately treating each other in a global community. Access to food access to healthcare access to socioeconomic mobility that's actually beneficial to the environment," said Stice in the show’s trailer . The 10-part series promises plenty of drama documenting young Americans

The day Margo Price walked into the studio to start recording her new album, That's How Rumors Get Started , she had butterflies in her stomach, a mixture of excitement, trepidation — and morning sickness. "I definitely was not expecting to be pregnant," she says. "I had planned to go into the studio regardless of what was happening in my personal life." Her daughter Ramona was born last June — and her new album is now out in the world, too. Price says that the two processes, making an album and having a baby, were eerily similar. "I think when you're making art and you're creating something, you have this feeling of protection," she says. "You keep it to yourself at first, and it's evolving and growing and changing. And the same [can be said] when you're carrying a baby. It's such a process that it's really hard to describe either one. I think they're both kind of mysterious in their own way. It's something that's just so personal." NPR's Ailsa Chang spoke to Margo Price about staying

Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit STEVE INSKEEP, HOST: Seventy five years ago this summer, the United States brought an end to the Second World War. An American battleship anchored in Tokyo Bay in 1945 - Japanese officials and top hats came aboard and formally surrendered to General Douglas MacArthur, who gave a speech. (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING) DOUGLAS MACARTHUR: It is my earnest hope and, indeed, the hope of all mankind, that from this solemn occasion a better world shall emerge out of the blood and carnage of the past. INSKEEP: Having invaded China and attacked the U.S., Japan ended the war in ruins. That's the overall story. But what was the experience for people in the wreckage of Japanese cities? Japanese civilians lived and died in U.S. fire bombings, atomic bombings and a years-long U.S. occupation as they rebuilt their devastated country. The writer Asako Serizawa says her parents and grandparents were among those civilians. She imagines the stories of such people

Saturday Night Live 's Colin Jost knows there's something about his clean-cut image that rubs some people the wrong way. When he joined SNL as a writer in 2005, he worked off-camera — and didn't have to think about his looks. "When you're not on camera or on television, you don't really consider what you look like," he says. But all that changed when he began working on-air in 2014 as the co-anchor of the show's "Weekend Update." "Some people look at me and have sort of a visceral, angry reaction [to me]," he says. "You see it in our audience. When I get hurt or hit on camera — like when [castmate] Cecily [Strong] throws drinks in my face or throws up red wine on me — the audience really loves it." Jost's new memoir, A Very Punchable Face, describes his experiences growing up in a middle-class household on Staten Island . "Part of writing this book was being excited to talk about parts of my life and weird episodes in my life that I thought that would be entertaining for people," he

Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit SARAH MCCAMMON, HOST: Performing artists are struggling to find ways to reach audiences during the coronavirus lockdown. Musicians are streaming concerts from their homes. Theaters are trying everything from Zoom plays to radio dramas. And one opera company is trying to reach its audience one listener at a time over the telephone. Reporter Jeff Lunden decided to take the call. JEFF LUNDEN, BYLINE: This is a story of love and separation. Two days before my phone rang, I got an email. And it says, my love, I miss you terribly. Each day without you is like... JENNIFER ZETLAN: A day without breathing. I long to see your face, the twinkle of your eyes. LUNDEN: The email is from my beloved. She says she's written some lyrics to songs she wants to sing to me and adds a postscript. ZETLAN: I've taken up learning a new language in quarantine, so all the songs will be in German. Here's the English translation. LUNDEN: I waited. Then the phone rang.

Asterix the Gaul, which kicks off the first volume of Papercutz' new Asterix reissues, doesn't feel like the genesis of an international juggernaut. Sure, the 1959 cartoon is funny: Diminutive-but-crafty Asterix and his towering sidekick Obelix are Laurel and Hardy transplanted to 50 B.C., delivering gonzo comeuppance to the Roman soldiers who hope to bring all of France under Caesar's rule. But nothing about René Goscinny's goofy narrative or Albert Uderzo's hyperactive, deliberately lowbrow drawings portend what the Asterix series became: a half-century-spanning, globally-bestselling, nation-defining phenomenon. Asterix's enduring popularity has puzzled critics for decades, even as the series has racked up sales of 380 million books, been translated into 111 languages and spawned dozens of adaptations in various media. In France, Asterix is a treasured icon, the series' worldwide success a source of national pride. "Asterix is our ego," a Frenchwoman told The New York Times in 1996.

Copyright 2020 KHNS. To see more, visit KHNS . LULU GARCIA-NAVARRO, HOST: Southeast Alaska's economy is getting hammered without cruise ship tourists, who stayed home due to the pandemic. So one tiny town is using its federal relief money to write monthly $1,000 checks to every resident, paying them not to move away. Claire Stremple reports from member station KHNS. CLAIRE STREMPLE, BYLINE: The boardwalk-lined streets of Skagway, Alaska, are usually filled with tourists by midsummer. But this year, the streets are quiet. REBECCA HYLTON: I became unemployed March 13. STREMPLE: Like many people in town, Rebecca Hylton has depended on the tourism industry for decades. She ran marketing for a local brewpub. But no cruises means no business. She couldn't pay her mortgage until she and her 7-year-old son got their first $2,000 from the local government. Then she spent a little money downtown. HYLTON: So right away, we bought some new boots for him, whereas before, I definitely would've

Copyright 2020 Northern Public Radio. To see more, visit Northern Public Radio . NOEL KING, HOST: All right. Here's a story about unexpected consequences. People are buying fewer lottery tickets because of the pandemic, which is bad for convenience stores and gas stations. But it also means hundreds of millions fewer dollars for school funding. Peter Medlin of member station WNIJ in DeKalb, Ill., explains what's going on. PETER MEDLIN, BYLINE: Last year, the Illinois Lottery set records sales. Proceeds from Powerball tickets to scratch-offs contributed $731 million to public education. That translates to more than 10% of the state's funding for school districts. But the receipts don't look nearly as good this year. With more strict reopening guidelines, sales have plummeted. And revenue has nosedived nearly $90 million during the pandemic. Victor Matheson teaches economics at the College of the Holy Cross in Massachusetts, where he researches sports and the lottery. VICTOR MATHESON: So

In this inspirational article, Pastor Doug explores the theme of forgiveness through the lens of one of Jesus’ most challenging parables.

Each part of the body depends on another to function properly—this is true both physically and spiritually. Different gifts among God’s people mean different roles in the church for each member. Do you ever wonder if your place is important? Find out in this inspiring, heartfelt look at the body of Christ.

It's hard for doctors to do a thorough eye exam on infants. They tend to wiggle around — the babies, that is, not the doctors. But a new smart phone app takes advantage of parents' fondness for snapping pictures of their children to look for signs that a child might be developing a serious eye disease. The app is the culmination of one father's the five-year quest to find a way to catch the earliest signs of eye disease, and prevent devastating loss of vision. Five years ago, NPR reported the story of Bryan Shaw 's son Noah, and how he lost an eye to cancer. Doctors diagnosed Noah Shaw's retinoblastoma when he was 4 months old. To make the diagnosis, the doctors shined a light into Noah's eye, and got a pale reflection from the back of the eyeball, an indication that there were tumors there. Noah's father Bryan is a scientist. He wondered if he could see that same pale reflection in flash pictures his wife was always taking of his baby son. Sure enough, he saw the reflection or glow,