TRAFFIC DEATHS in the U.S. are up 10.5 percent over last year (Shutterstock).

Dangerous and deadly driving is taking an increasing toll on American motorists.

There’s been a 10.5 percent increase in highway fatalities over the past year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

That means almost 43,000 people killed, The Associated Press is reporting. Part of the reason for a sharp increase is a return to driving as the worst of the coronavirus pandemic receded.

Also cited were increases in speeding, “impaired driving” (drug and alcohol use), “distracted driving” (texting and phone conversations) and an apparent drop in the use of seat belts and harnesses.

President Biden slams “white supremacy”

PRESIDENT and First Lady Biden at memorial in Buffalo (White House photo).

In a speech in Buffalo three days after a mass shooting which took the lives of 10 Black people, President Joe Biden mourned the victims and vowed that “evil will not win.”

According to USA Today, Biden called the shootings to be “simple, straightforward terrorism” and called upon all Americans to reject that ideology.

The suspect, an 18-year-old white man, has been connected to extremist anti-Black beliefs and the concern that white Americans were being “replaced by” immigrants and minorities.

Some right-wing media outlets have embraced that theory, include Tucker Carlson of Fox News.

Sports: Dodgers sweep, Angels fall

When two of the best teams in Major League Baseball face two of the … well … underperforming teams, you might expect some blowouts.

That worked Tuesday for the Los Angeles Dodgers, but not for the Los Angeles Angels.

Playing at home, the Blue Crew swept two games from the Arizona Diamondbacks, winning 12-3 and 7-6. The Dodgers are now 24-12 and lead the National League West by one game over the San Diego Padres (23-13).

In the first game against the D-backs, the Dodgers slammed four home runs in rallying from an early 3-0 deficit to win 7-6. In the second game, they got by with just one four-bagger, a three-run shot by Edwin Rios. Freddie Freeman drove in three runs and Trea Turner had four RBIs.

In Arlington, the Angels lost their second straight game to the humble Rangers. Three home runs gave them a 4-3 lead going into the eighth inning. That’s when it all went bad, as Ryan Tepera, the fifth guy out of the bullpen, yielded three hits, five earned runs and two walks. Cesar Valdez didn’t do much better, giving up two hits and two runs and the Halos ended up losing, 10-5.

With the loss, the Angels are 24-15, a full game behind the Houston Astros (24-13) in the AL West. With their third straight win overall, the Rangers (16-19) moved into third place in the division.

Weather: The skies are not cloudy all day

But they have been partly cloudy and will continue that way in West Orange County through Sunday. According to forecasts, daytime highs will range from 74 on Wednesday to 71 on Friday, then back up to 74 on Sunday. Overnights lows will be from 58 to 60.

Business: Wall Street rebounding

After a period of steady declines, the major stock indexes all showed gains in Tuesday’s trading.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 1.34 percent and the S&P 500 climbed by 2.02 percent. Beating them both was Nasdaq, which showed an increase of 2.76 percent.