PRESIDENT Donald Trump said goodbye on Jan. 20, 2021 (White House photo).

Maine became the second state to bar former president Donald Trump from the ballot based on the U.S. Constitution’s insurrection clause.

Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, a Democrat, issued the ruling on Thursday. Earlier this month, Colorado also banned Trump from the ballot, while last week an effort to do so in Michigan failed.

The clause in the 14th Amendment excluded from public office any one who had been engaged in insurrection against the federal government. A post-Civil War measure, it’s still in place and the legal question now appears to be whether it applies to former presidents.

Trump is accused of illegal conduct due to his role in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Bellows’ ruling is not final, as she suspended it pending a decision by state courts in Maine, and a possible – even likely – review by the U.S. Supreme Court. 

Israel admits fault in air strikes

HAMAS vs. Israel (Shutterstock).

In a rare wartime admission of regret, the Israeli armed forces issued a statement Thursday stating that Yiutwo aerial attacks inflicted “unintended harm” to “uninvolved civilians” in an area of the Gaza Strip.

The military claimed its intentions were to hit Hamas forces in Al Maghazi but “additional buildings” were also struck and also promised to “draw lessons from the incident.”

Hundreds of people are believed to have been injured or killed.

An estimated 20,000 Gazans are believed to have died in Israel’s attack into Gaza; Israeli deaths are estimated at 1,200.

Sports: How Rams make playoffs

After a miserable three-game skid earlier in the season, it looked like the Los Angeles Rams (now 8-7) would be sitting out the playoffs for the second consecutive year, But after five wins in six games, the boys from SoFi have a pretty good shot at having a post-season.

Here’s how they might do it. On Sunday they play the New York Giants (5-10). With a win there, they would clinch a wild card slot if A) The Seattle Seahawks lose to the Pittsburgh Steelers or B) the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings (both 7-8) tie.

Even without those two, the Rams could still make it to the playoffs with a win in their final game, but that’s a tougher reach against the NFC West champion San Francisco 49ers (11-4).

Weather: Cloudy then some showers

Relative to the usual climate in our West Orange County area, we will have some winter-y days and nights for a while. Friday is forecast for cloudy skies with an afternoon high of 65 and an overnight low of 52. Showers will arrive on Saturday with a high of 63 and a low of 52. Sunday is expected to check in with cloudy skies again and a high of 62 with a low of 47.