Senate Sherpa Doug Jones Says He’s Confident of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Confirmation –

The Big Picture –
By Glynn Wilson –

WASHINGTON, D.C. — At 11:33 a.m. Sunday, we cross the vernal equinox from winter into spring, and it feels like it’s about time, y’all.

The Japanese cherry blossoms are blooming along the Tidal Basin by the Jefferson Memorial and the toads and frogs are singing in the marshes and bogs in the forest 10 miles north of the Washington Monument, the center point in the unique architecture of this fascinating place of national and international power.

It’s almost enough to make one jump up and down with glee, as masks are optional now and in some ways, things seem to be returning to something resembling normal. Well, except for the price of gas.

But it’s hard to disconnect from the news and celebrate all out with the first major European land war of the 21st century still ongoing in Ukraine, with truth itself another front in Putin’s war, although the invasion does appear to be stalled out with some Russian solder’s simply abandoning their trucks and tanks and wandering off into the woods. You can’t blame them. It’s a dumb war at a bad time in history.

President Volodymyr Zelensky is the hero here, which must be driving Vladimir Putin out of his mind. Let’s hope he doesn’t feel too much like a cornered rat enough to break out the chemical, biological or dog forbid, nuclear weapons.

Climate Update

While we are in for some fine spring weather over the next couple of months, and a break from the troubles of the world is definitely in order, this is no time for total complacency.

Climate scientists are forecasting the continuation of a trend from April to June of higher temperatures across most of the Unites States, from the Desert Southwest to the East Coast and north through the Midwest to the Canadian border, and a prolonged, persistent drought in the West where below-average precipitation is expected again this year.

Related: Summer Global Warming Trends Expected to Continue Across U.S., Along With Droughts, Fires in the West

This does not look good, so you may want to think twice before heading west to contribute to the overcrowding in the large, famous national parks this summer. Consider visiting some of the lesser known parks this year.

Related: National Park Service Highlights Less Famous Parks in Reporting Annual Visitation Numbers

National Politics

On the national political front, there is some good news. After months of sagging enthusiasm among Democrats and raging motivation on the part of Republican voters, the public opinion numbers took a turn in recent days, especially among African American voters.

While President Biden’s overall job approval numbers spiked up from the low 40s to nearly 50 percent, new surveys show that a whopping 69 percent of Black voters approve of the job Biden is doing, and 32 percent say they “strongly” approve.

Half of Black voters are are “extremely” or “very” enthusiastic about voting in the midterm elections in November now, up 12 percentage points since Feb. 25 when the president appointed Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court and the confirmation hearing date was set in the Senate. That’s up 12 points since Jackson’s nomination.

Related: Voter Enthusiasm for Democrats Surges After Biden Appoints First Black Woman to Supreme Court

The Senate confirmation hearing begins Monday, so this would be a good time to keep an eye on C-SPAN.

President Biden’s sherpa to shepherd Judge Jackson through the confirmation process, former Alabama Senator Doug Jones, tells us he’s “excited to get this hearing started and feeling very good about confirmation.”

The Washington Post just couldn’t wait, and got a head start by posing five questions Ketanji Brown Jackson could face in her Supreme Court hearing.

Meanwhile: Get Outside

Meanwhile, like Stephen Colbert likes to say on his late night show on CBS, it’s too nice outside to sit around inside staring at a computer screen and monitoring Facebook notifications. I think I’ll pull on the hiking boots and saunter down the Blueberry Trail over to the Perimeter Trail and check out the view by the wooden bridge over Still Creek. I’m sure there will be a few birds to talk too, and maybe something to photograph.

Get outside.
Go for a ride.
Saunter a walk.
Don’t just talk the talk.

If you happen to be downtown, go for a walk along the Tidal Basin. The white and pink blooms are popping out. Maybe we will find time and a way to get downtown this week. I’m still scouting a new profile picture in the new hat with the Capitol in the background. Hint: #Codger Power. You will see. Soon.

Past Cherry Blossom Pics

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