Opinion

Turnstile’s Never Enough record is a fun musical listen.

Turnstile calls Columbus, Ohio home during the Baltimore band’s sold-out Columbus shows. Turnstile’s bassist Franz Lyons is from Columbus.

Franz skateboarded with Embassy Boardshop. Franz played at the DIY Hardcore house Legion of Doom. Franz frequented Sole Classics which is owned by OSU legend Pepper Johnson’s son, Buckeye Dionte Johnson. Sole Classics brought Kendrick Lamar into town for Kendrick’s first Columbus show.

Franz kicked it at Cafe Bourbon Street’s So What Wednesdays with Ahmed Gallab of Sinkane. Turnstile’s Columbus shows feel like large versions of the Columbus Franz is from. Kids are moshing with PMA everywhere.

Turnstile’s Never Enough album is releasing after Turnstile toured the entire globe. Turnstile played Lollapolloozas in several continents.  Turnstile rocked Dodger Stadium with Tyler, The Creator’s festival. Turnstile followed their sold-out homecoming Columbus show with arena tours with My Chemical Romance, and Blink 182.

 On June 14, millions of people in more than 1,500 cities across all 50 states and commonwealths will take to the streets. No Kings is expected to be the largest single-day mobilization since President Trump returned to office—a mass, nationwide protest rejecting authoritarianism, billionaire-first politics, and the militarization of our democracy.

For a full list of participating cities, event details, and spokespeople available for interviews, visit www.NoKings.org or contact media@handsoff2025.org.

The “No Kings” mobilization is a direct response to Donald Trump’s self-aggrandizing $100 million military parade and birthday celebration, an event funded by taxpayers while millions are told there's no money for Social Security, SNAP, Medicaid, or public schools.

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First Things First

We want to take a moment to say we know this has been a really hard week. So many Ohioans have been grappling with bad news that dramatically affects their lives. For example, in the last few days alone:

We expected the worst environmental outcomes when Trump ran for and won re-election in November. Unfortunately, Trump and his administration are doing what we expected, though not totally.

At the time of the election in November 2024, I wrote this about Trump’s environmental policies 

“One of Trump’s signature slogans is ‘drill baby drill,’ which means, as he has told us, his upcoming government, once installed after January 20,2025, will (1) increase government support for fossil fuels, (2) reduce support for solar, wind, and geothermal, (3) encourage more export of fracked natural gas, (4) eviscerate or close the Environmental Protection Agency, (5) open up public land to drilling; and (6) serve as a discouraging international model for other countries to follow (https://vitalissuesbobsheak.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=4795&action=edit).

Drugmakers want drugs that people take for decades (which is why they don't develop antibiotics, taken for a measly 10 days.)

Pharma's top revenue streams include kids with ADHD (remaining on drugs until adulthood), people "living with mental illness," the obese and diabetic, those "at risk" of cardiovascular disease (who will take statins), and women.

Until 2003, approximately 61 million US women took hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for the "disease" of menopause, once called simple aging. Drugmakers increased the take by moving the "start date" for menopause ahead ten years through inventing the term "perimenopause." Then the wheels fell of the menopause franchise.

Remonetizing Menopause

When HRT was found to increase the risk of breast cancer by 26 percent, heart attacks by 29 percent, stroke by 41 percent and to double the risk of blood clots, millions of women quit. For a while, "hormone" was even a dirty word.

But Pharma could not let millions of women be non-customers.

Our great poet laureate MIMI GERMAN kicks us off with her usual genius at the GREEP zoom #225 from Monday, June 2, 2025.

Mimi additionally fills us in on the astounding fight for real grassroots democracy in the allegoric & all-too-real “Mayberry” on the Oregon coast.

Homelessness advocate SUSIE SHANNON gives us a full & powerful report on the horrific Budget Bill’s ugly assault on the tragically unhoused.

Minnesota’s KARLA SAND questions the role of Medicaid qualifiers for elder citizens.

From DR. NANCY NIPARKO we get a unique medical perspective on the horrendous impacts of being unhoused.

We hear from MIKE HERSH that his blog on Trump reminds us that FDR had Eleanor & Frances Perkins at his back.

From Georgia we hear from the great RAY MCCLENDON about a critical upcoming utility commission election in the Peach State.

PSC candidate DANIEL BLACKMAN tells us first hand about the challenges of running for election amidst some of the most corrupt electoral realities anywhere.

Legendary Pacifica activist MYLA RESON asks what we can do to help Daniel help save Georgia’s electricity grid.

The Columbus Gay Men’s Chorus (“CGMC”) is proud to present their Pride Month concert “35-n-Thrivin’” on June 28th and June 29th at the Davidson Theater in the Vern Riffe Center. The show consists of songs by well-known LGBTQIA+ artists and is a celebration of CGMC’s 35th anniversary season.

Brayton Bollenbacher, CGMC’s Artistic Director, said the Chorus’ 35th anniversary brought to mind renowned LGBTQIA+ artists, including Tracy Chapman, Melissa Etheridge, Elton John, Chappell Roan and Ricky Martin, and the notable music they were working on before the age of 35. “As we are celebrating our 35th season, I was curious to see what Queer musicians were doing when they were 35 years old,” Bollenbacher said. “This concert is really celebrating music by the amazing artists that they created prior to being 35 years old.”