SENATE WING of U.S. Capitol building (Shutterstock).

The U.S. Senate has for the first time passed a war powers resolution with a goal of stopping American military attacks against Iran.

According to the Associated Press, the vote on Tuesday was 51-48, as four Republicans joined all the Senate Democrats.

While a largely symbolic action, it represents an increasing unease across partly lines about the war’s aims and the continuing costs.

A similar resolution was approved by the House of Representatives earlier in June.

“Time after time, the vast majority of Senate Republicans side with [President Donald] Trump and his war instead of the American people,” said Chuck Schumer, Senate Democratic leader.

Trump: Vandals sabotaged reflecting pool

The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, now plagued by a peeling blue coating and blooming algae, was damaged by vandals who used knives in “the dark of night,” President Donald Trump says.

PRESIDENT Donald Trump.

However – reports The New York Times – government documents indicate that two cuts in sections of foam between the pool’s expansion joints are not directly related to the blue coating that’s been curling or the algae giving the pool a shade of green.

The pool was drained, resealed and then refilled, but after four days the cuts were discovered.

“It was purposefully and criminally done, and somebody had to work very hard, probably in the dark of night,” said Trump.

Court rules on religious rights

By a 6-3 vote, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against a man of the Rastafarian faith who sued after prison officials forcibly cut off his dreadlocks.

UNITED STATES Supreme Court building (Flickr/Geoff Livingston).

Damon Landor, serving a five-month sentence for marjuana possession, was told by prison officials to remove his dreadlocks, which had grown to a length of several feet after not having cut them for almost 20 years.

A federal law indicates that a prisoner must be allowed to keep his dreadlocks, but since the prison is not federal, but a state institution in Louisiana, there’s no protection, said the decision from the majority of conservative judges.

The six conservative justices were in the majority while the three liberals dissented.

Weather: Getting cooler

There’s a slow cooling trend commencing in our West Orange County cities.
Wednesday is expected to have a daytime high of 79 with an overnight low of 63 under mostly sunny skies. Thursday will cool a bit to 77 (63), also with mostly sunny conditions. Friday will see the thermometer tip down to 76 (64) but still mostly sunny. Almost the same on Saturday which will be 76 (63) but mostly cloudy.

Great Thoughts (neatness)

“Cleanliness is not next to godliness. It isn’t even in the same neighborhood. No one has ever gotten a religious experience out of removing burned on cheese from the grill of the toaster.”
– Erma Bombeck

“Perhaps it’s an occupational hazard; I see dirt where others don’t.”
– Nita Prose

“I think homes that are too tidy, neat and sparse look like nothing interesting is going on.”
– Shelley Malec Vitale.