Eager to demonstrate progress on President Trump's promise to repeal the Affordable Care Act, the administration is pushing to resurrect a Republican bill before his 100th day in office, which falls at the end of next week. But Congress has a more urgent priority: a potential government shutdown. Lawmakers return from a two-week recess on Monday, with just a few days to prevent the federal government from running out of money. Health care may have to wait.
A deadly attack on the Champs-Elysees in Paris on Thursday could tip voting in the first round of a presidential election this weekend. Candidates who are perceived as tougher on crime and terrorism, especially the far-right leader Marine Le Pen, could benefit from the reaction to the shooting, which killed a police officer and wounded three other people. The Islamic State claimed responsibility.
John Muir, also known as "John of the Mountains", was an American naturalist, author, environmental philosopher, glaciologist and early advocate for the preservation of wilderness in the United States. His letters, essays, and books describing his adventures in nature, especially in the Sierra Nevada, have been read by millions. His activism has helped to preserve the Yosemite Valley, Sequoia National Park and many other wilderness areas.
The Sierra Club, which he founded, is a prominent American conservation organization. The 211-mile (340 km) John Muir Trail, a hiking trail in the Sierra Nevada, was named in his honor. Other such places include Muir Woods National Monument, Muir Beach, John Muir College, Mount Muir, Camp Muir and Muir Glacier. In Scotland, the John Muir Way, a 130-mile-long route, was named in honor of him. As a result, his writings are commonly discussed in books and journals, and he is often quoted by nature photographers such as Ansel Adams.
Muir was noted for being an ecological thinker, political spokesman, and religious prophet, whose writings became a personal guide into nature for countless individuals, making his name "almost ubiquitous" in the modern environmental consciousness. According to author William Anderson, Muir exemplified "the archetype of our oneness with the earth", while biographer Donald Worster says he believed his mission was "...saving the American soul from total surrender to materialism.". On April 21, 2013, the first ever John Muir Day was celebrated in Scotland, which marked the 175th anniversary of his birth, paying homage to the conservationist. Read more ...
