Reading archive 2024-10-31

The Unfair Typecasting of Second Empire Style: How did Second Empire architecture — elegant and innovative — become the de facto style for haunted houses and creepy attractions?

Is this the ‘most haunted’ building in Washington? The EEOB’s spooky history.: A locked case in which items somehow moved. Spectral figures in the halls. Ex-White House staffers share Eisenhower Executive Office Building ghost stories.

The passive house trend is booming: These green homes are designed to be as energy efficient as possible. New incentives aim to make them more budget-friendly.

Work Advice: How far should I go to accommodate a neurodivergent colleague?: It’s important to start by asking them what would help them succeed. The results may surprise you.

China built a $50 billion military stronghold in the South China Sea

Congress tried to fix presidential transitions. Trump is testing the changes.: The first test of a little-known change to the presidential transition process is causing anxiety as Trump is potentially poised to return to power.

Guns. Knives. Bats. Hammers. Hatchets. Spears.: As incidents of road rage escalate across the country, aggressive drivers in Texas try to understand what triggers anger.

Two Theories of Immaculate Disinflation, and Their Implications: Paul Krugman

"It is so disastrous": MAGA men are freaking out that wives may be secretly voting for Kamala Harris: "That’s the same thing as having an affair,” Fox News host argues as women fuel early vote in key states

Reading archive 2024-10-30

The Worst of Crypto Is Yet to Come: No matter who wins in November, the digital-asset market could be on the brink of a deregulation-fueled bonanza. - "Dennis Kelleher, the CEO of the nonprofit Better Markets, told me the real reason the crypto industry doesn’t want tokens to be classified as securities is that disclosure rules would expose them as financially dangerous. 'If you had to fully and truthfully disclose the risks associated with crypto, the people who would engage in crypto would be near none,' he said."

North Korea’s elite troops are in Russia to fight Ukraine: What we know: The North Korean Special Forces sent to Russia are the state’s best trained troops but they will face challenges with modern warfare technology, experts say.

Stung by the backlash, Ted Leonsis is trying to win back: Washington The Monumental Sports & Entertainment CEO says he wants to unite the region, but a failed arena deal in Virginia turned him into a polarizing figure.

She said she had a miscarriage — then got arrested under an abortion law

Who is the mystery poop and tiki torch artist?: The Washington Post set out to find out who was behind two new eye-catching art installations in the city. We couldn’t quite do it.

Against mayor’s wishes, D.C. will use bus sales to help Circulator workers: The mayor chose to end Circulator service this year, saying the city could no longer afford the red buses.

D.C. Council restricts amplified noise, projectiles at residential protests: An emergency measure to temper First Amendment activity in residential neighborhoods was by turns lauded and derided by District residents, as the D.C. Council voted 9-2 to pass the bill.

What Trump could do to Metro if he wins a second term: While in office, Trump repeatedly tried to slash infrastructure budgets and pull back funding for public transit.

Opinion So, what did you think of Harris’s October surprise? Across the country, the vice president’s field operation dwarfs Trump’s. - "Democrat Josh Stein will almost certainly win the governor’s race, and Democrats will likely take a couple more statewide races. But the congressional delegation 'will either be 71 percent Republican or 79 percent, in a state Kamala Harris may very well win,' Nickel said."

Opinion Donald Trump wants you to be afraid of me: His anti-trans TV ads are a cunning, cynical program to encourage us to fear what we do not understand.

Companies ready price hikes to offset Trump’s global tariff plans: Executives say Americans, not foreign countries, will pay the tariffs. - "In fact, American importers pay all tariffs to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency at the time their products enter the country."

Mike Johnson vows major changes to Affordable Care Act if Trump wins election: The House speaker said Republicans would seek to overhaul the law, which provides health coverage to tens of millions and has been a frequent target of GOP repeal efforts.

For Jeff Bezos and his businesses, Washington has become more important: Executives at companies founded by the billionaire Post owner have sought contact with Trump. He argues he didn’t end presidential endorsements out of self-interest.

They thought they found their dream home — so did thousands of bats: For a millennial couple buying their first home, on an island in the Puget Sound, the cost of humanely resolving the bat problem was more than they expected.

Musk’s plan to cut $2 trillion in U.S. spending could bring economic turmoil: Deep budget cuts would be required to meet the billionaire Trump supporter’s goal. He appeared to acknowledge some risks on Tuesday.

China cracks down on Halloween, wary of subversion lurking in costumes: Halloween is new to China, but many young professionals embrace costumes as a way to express themselves – and sometimes to send subtle political messages.

These women are all in for abortion rights — and for Donald Trump: Harris is making abortion part of her closing argument. But some voters say they aren’t worried about what a Trump presidency would mean for abortion. - "Republican and independent voters who plan to split their ticket on abortion — voting for an abortion referendum and for Trump — said they were willing to give Trump the benefit of the doubt on the issue, with some feeling reassured by his recent promises not to crack down further on abortion. Despite Trump’s decision to appoint the three conservative Supreme Court justices who helped revoke the constitutional right to abortion, a few voters said they believed Trump was secretly 'pro-choice.'" [ed. note: everyone is about to get everything they deserve]

LGBTQ activists canvassed in a red state. The conversations surprised them.: The group spread out across Missouri in the final days before the election. Residents had viewpoints that did not fit in neat partisan boxes.

Reading archive 2024-10-29

Opinion There’s a better term for Trump than ‘fascist’: He’s a demagogue. - "Originally, demagogue (dēmagōgós, literally “leader of the people”), signified a political type in Greek democracy who rallied nonelite voters to the support of causes by appealing to class prejudices and resentments. Only after decades of observation did political philosophers begin to catalogue the extraordinary dangers posed by this type.

...

"Modern academics have refined the term. In his 1954 book 'American Demagogues,' historian Reinhard Luthin defined a demagogue as 'a politician skilled in oratory, flattery and invective; evasive in discussing vital issues; promising everything to everybody; appealing to the passions rather than the reason of the public; and arousing racial, religious, and class prejudices — a man whose lust for power without recourse to principle leads him to seek to become a master of the masses.'"

The AI boom may unleash a global surge in electronic waste: Most e-waste is never recycled. Data center upgrades for AI projects could significantly add to the problem, researchers say.

fall in love with moths

Can apple cider vinegar really do wonders for your health?: Several studies have shown apple cider vinegar can lower blood sugar levels and slightly improve cholesterol, but there are caveats.

CNN bans guest over ‘beeper’ comment aimed at pro-Palestinian panelist: The network said Ryan Girdusky would not be welcome back after he told Mehdi Hasan “I hope your beeper doesn’t go off,” referencing Israel’s operation against Hezbollah.

On Elon Musk’s X, Republicans go viral as Democrats disappear: A Washington Post analysis found that Republicans are posting more, getting followed more and going viral more now that the world’s richest Trump supporter is running the show.

Reading archive 2024-10-28

How would Trump and Harris supporters handle defeat? Here’s what they say.: We asked dozens of backers of each candidate how they would feel and what they would do if the election didn’t go their way. The contrasts were illuminating.

For The Post, more outrage from readers who say they’ve canceled: After Friday’s announcement that The Washington Post was no longer going to endorse a presidential candidate, subscribers and journalists are responding with anger and dismay.

The pop star endorsement that could really swing the election? Bad Bunny.: The Puerto Rican superstar has a huge voice and a ton of influence — especially among Latinos and young voters.

Trump nearly took over the D.C. police force. City leaders pushed back.: D.C. leaders fear a second Trump administration would bring renewed threats to the city’s independence.

How America’s youngest voters feel about casting their first ballots: Teens say activities and classes they’re taking have influenced how they will cast their first ever vote.

Trump rally speakers lob racist insults, call Puerto Rico ‘island of garbage’: Later, Trump took the stage at Madison Square Garden and called the GOP “the party of inclusion.” His campaign issued a statement disavowing the “garbage” comment.

Chinese hackers said to have collected audio of American calls: The hackers are said to be part of a Chinese government-affiliated group that American researchers have dubbed Salt Typhoon.

Some billionaires, CEOs hedge bets as Trump vows retribution: With the race tight, some business elites are toning down past criticism of the former president.

On a Deep South housing board, a clash over seats reserved for minorities: Alabama’s real estate appraisal panel has emerged as a key battleground in a growing fight over the racial makeup of public boards and commissions.

Ukraine boosting its defense industries, with a little help from friends: With Europe unable to supply all the weapons and ammunition Ukraine needs, the E.U. is investing in the country’s rapidly expanding arms industry.

How Soviet farm planning gave Ukrainian troops vital battlefield real estate: On the Ukrainian steppe, where it is nearly impossible to hide from drone surveillance, windbreaks are fought over by Russian and Ukrainian troops.

New housing construction slowed as campaigns focus on affordability: Fresh data from the Census Bureau underscores the difficulty in finding federal solutions to housing problems at the local level. - "Trump’s plan doesn’t tackle new construction. Instead, the focus is on freeing up existing homes that he claims are occupied by undocumented immigrants, whom he wants to deport by the millions. Economists have widely debunked this claim, saying other forces play a much bigger role in driving up prices and that undocumented immigrants are more likely to live in lower-income rental units than owner-occupied houses. They also note that new immigrants make up about a third of the construction workforce, which would be a crucial part of the push to build new homes and fix years-long shortages."

This town has no cell service, so the ‘electrosensitive’ have made it home: A few dozen people, in and around Green Bank, W.Va., have retreated from the signals of modern life, and found each other.

'What Did It Achieve?': Documentary Examines Largest Immigration Raid In U.S. History [ed. note: from 2018, about 2008] - '"The demographic impact was huge. The town lost almost half of its population after the raid. It was also devastating economically. The plant that was the main economic motor of the town went bankrupt and later reopened under a foreign owner. Many workers didn't get paid for months and eventually lost their jobs. A lot of local businesses closed down. The whole county, not only the towns, suffered, immigrants and nonimmigrants alike.

"'I think this documentary can really shed light on the efficiency of these worksite enforcement operations when we think about are they really efficient? This raid in 2008 cost over $5 million that came out of taxpayer pockets, and what did it achieve? Those jobs did not go back to Americans. They went to Somali refugees.'"

Reading archive 2024-10-27

 Russian economy overheating, but still powering the war against Ukraine: Putin’s massive spending on the war is overheating the economy, but he has the resources to keep doing it. - "The failure of sanctions is closely watched by autocrats, he said.

"'The big message it sends to the Kremlin and to Beijing and any other autocratic potential troublemaker is that the West isn’t serious. The West is more interested in making money in the short term than in confronting autocrats. That’s the number one message, and that is deeply harmful,' he said."

Anti-Puerto Rico comments at Trump rally spur outrage as Bad Bunny supports Harris: The artist’s gesture of support came as a number of speakers at a Trump event in New York made racist and disparaging comments about Puerto Ricans and other Latinos.

Inside the fight for every vote in Montana

Trump says domestic foes worse than Kim Jong Un during meandering Joe Rogan interview: “We have a bigger problem, in my opinion, with the enemy from within,” Trump said after mentioning the oppressive North Korean leader, reprising a phrase that has drawn criticism.

Elon Musk, enemy of ‘open borders,’ launched his career working illegally: Investors in Musk’s first company worried about “our founder being deported” and gave him a deadline for obtaining a work visa.

Elon Musk claims student visa permitted him to work in U.S.: After a Washington Post report and remarks from President Joe Biden, Musk denied working in the U.S. illegally.

Reading archive 2024-10-25

D.C. AG sues major construction company, alleging pollution of waterways: Fort Myer Construction operates two asphalt plants in the District and is a preferred contractor with the city, with tens of millions of dollars in contracts over the years.

DC Council Passes Bill That Would Bring Thousands Of New EV Stations To The City

Satellite images show major expansion at Russian site with secret bioweapons past: New construction at a military research site near Moscow reveals a specialized laboratory complex designed to research and handle deadly pathogens, experts say. - "State Department officials have ridiculed Russian allegations that the United States is working on biological weapons, alone or with partners. But U.S. officials and experts say Russian scientists may legitimately believe that the threat exists, and thus feel justified in creating and testing new weapons."

Families sue D.C. for ending housing aid in unprecedented case: The city has sought to remove thousands of families from its rapid rehousing program. Officials have blamed years of extensions for creating an unsustainable financial burden.

Jill Biden has upgraded your next White House tour: ‘They weren’t dynamic,’ the first lady says of the old tours. So she helped reimagine the ritual.

Opinion On political endorsement A note from the publisher: [ed. note: "We are returning to our roots, which is to not endorse candidates, except when we do, which is whenever we want, which is not now, because I, William Lewis, am a Rupert Murdoch crony and wide-spectrum dirtbag."]

The Washington Post says it will not endorse a candidate for president Publisher William Lewis explained the decision as a return to the newspaper’s roots. - "The decision not to publish was made by The Post’s owner — Amazon founder Jeff Bezos — according to the same sources." [ed. note: bracing gutlessness from a billionaire afraid of what a Trump win could do to his fortunes]

Jill Biden has upgraded your next White House tour: ‘They weren’t dynamic,’ the first lady says of the old tours. So she helped reimagine the ritual.

Poop statue appears on the National Mall to ‘honor’ Jan. 6 rioters: Visitors swarmed the controversial installation, which will be on the Mall until Oct. 30.

Does Ghost-Hunting Gear Work? We Tested Some in a Haunted Place to Find Out.

Why Fleetwood Mac is forever: “Dreams,” by Mark Blake, delves into Fleetwood Mac’s storied past and the enduring appeal of the band’s music.

Finally, a fresh argument against ‘wokeness’: In “We Have Never Been Woke,” Musa al-Gharbi argues that claims to support marginalized people are often little more than elite status competitions.

Meet Ukraine’s top fighting unit — at least that’s what its ad says: Ukraine’s brigades can recruit their own soldiers, and they compete with one another to craft the best advertising campaigns to sell the war.

Canada alleges much wider campaign by Modi government against Sikhs: Canada on Monday ordered six Indian diplomats to leave the country, including India’s top diplomat in Ottawa, Sanjay Kumar Verma, officials said.

In D.C. election, Initiative 83 push for voting changes is biggest wild card: I-83 would allow independents to vote in primaries and change D.C.’s voting method to ranked-choice. The D.C. Democratic Party has emerged as a chief opponent.

Opinion By electing Trump, America would break its closest allies’ hearts: Anxiety levels in Europe over the U.S. election are very high. - "Jørn Brøndal, chair of USD’s Center for American Studies, offered a view that turns 'America First' rhetoric on its head. 'I always saw Trump as an import from Europe,' Brøndal said. 'He’s outside the American mainstream and comes from a right-wing populist tradition in Europe that shows some of the same tendencies.' Brøndal said this before Trump, in the style of 1930s autocrats, spoke of immigrants bringing 'a lot of bad genes in our country right now.'"

North Carolina authorities arrest armed man after threats against FEMA workers: Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office confirms it made the arrest Saturday after learning of threat to Federal Emergency Management Agency employees working on hurricane relief.

Opinion Why Harris’s pitch to Muslim and Arab American voters is failing: Caught in the bind of the Gaza war, the VP failed to cement herself as the choice for this bloc. - "There’s a tendency in liberal circles to accuse these voters of betraying their own interests by supporting Trump or voting third-party. But Muslim and Arab voters aren’t abandoning Harris because they don’t understand what’s at stake. They’re abandoning her because they do." [lol let's see how that goes]

The Most Opinionated Man in America: Mike Solana, a Peter Thiel protégé, has made his Pirate Wires newsletter a must-read among the anti-woke investor class—and a window into what the most powerful people in tech really think.

Reading archive 2024-10-24

Fox News edited Trump’s rambling answers and false claims in barbershop interview, full video shows

Trump says gas should be $1.87 a gallon. Here’s what that would mean.: Experts say that the former president’s campaign promise of cheap gasoline could have severe economic consequences. - "Companies generally can’t break even on oil production when the price of a barrel falls below $45, according to Ed Hirs, an energy economist at the University of Houston. If crude prices plummeted to $20 a barrel, Hirs said, top U.S. oil producers would probably pull back on major investments.

"In this scenario, spending on drilling could screech to a halt. Refineries could shutter. The impacts could be especially acute in energy-rich states such as New Mexico, Colorado and others, where taxes on oil and gas production help fund schools and local governments."

GOP candidates embrace Trump’s call to abolish Education Department: Republican candidates in tight races speak out on the issue, an on-and-off GOP goal since the agency was created

GOP Rep. Kiggans’s lead evaporates in Virginia’s 2nd District, poll finds: Incumbent Jen Kiggans (R-Virginia) is nearly tied with Democratic challenger Missy Cotter Smasal in the closely watched congressional race in Hampton Roads.

A week before election, Harris to speak at the Ellipse in Washington: The vice president is slated to present her final case to the American people in D.C., in the same area where Donald Trump spoke just before the Jan. 6 riot.

D.C.’s glass buildings can be deadly for birds. Volunteers track them.: Every year, Lights Out DC volunteers find hundreds of dead birds during peak migration seasons.

Michigan Arabs and Muslims deeply split over supporting Harris: Many say they will skip the presidential election out of anger over Gaza and Lebanon. Others see Kamala Harris as clearly better than Donald Trump.

We Wanted to Find the Best Red Light Therapy Device to Help With Pain. Here’s Why We Can’t Recommend Any.

The Blowout No One Sees Coming