Reading archive 2026-09-01 pt 2

 The Fight Between Texas and Minnesota Should Never Have Gotten This Far: A legal battle over one ICE agent’s future is a sign of serious strain between red and blue America.

Reading archive 2026-09-01 pt 1

What it’s like to drive a car that runs on sunshine: Test-driving a car coated in solar panels gave me a preview of a future without gas pumps or charging cables.

A Smithsonian museum director departs for the Guggenheim: Melissa Chiu has led the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden since 2014.

Smithsonian, Hirshhorn end ‘Bubble’ project [ed. note: from 2013]

Smithsonian changes course, will put Latino museum in existing building: Regents voted to put the museum in a 145-year-old building instead of constructing a new one, which would require congressional approval.

Mother, daughter killed in interstate crash with wrong-way driver, police say: The driver was charged with two counts of homicide by motor vehicle while impaired by alcohol. - "Saturday’s crash comes shortly after the Montgomery County Police Department confirmed it would dissolve its unit combating drunken driving and impaired driving, a change set to take place soon. The department said the cut is necessary due to staffing shortages and operations needs."

China's Xi tells Putin that foundations of ties will be stronger

Israel signs $3.5 billion air defense deal with Greece

The devastation of NSA Bahrain is a national security warning - "It’s important to understand that NSA Bahrain is more than just a headquarters. Among its many functions, the installation provides a regional naval operating base for U.S. Navy forces in the Middle East. NSA Bahrain is home to NAVCENT and U.S. Fifth Fleet, along with numerous tenant commands.

...

"The idea that the U.S. could not prevent and defend against a predictable attack on a Fleet Headquarters — and our sailors stationed there — is quite startling. It likely is just as alarming to our allies."

Sweden signs French warship order to boost defense

College student steps into traffic, is killed after losing immigration status: Pierre Damas Bel’s family said he took his own life on a busy highway after the Trump administration canceled protections for thousands of Haitian immigrants and ICE officers placed him in an ankle monitor. - "'I know that I’m a pastor and I’m supposed to be forgiving,' he said. 'But right now as I sit with a broken family, I’m crying out to God for righteous judgment in those who made this happen.'"

What Trump’s ballroom win really says about the Supreme Court: The justices reject a challenge on standing grounds. - "It’s a shame that the separation of powers didn’t work as intended, with Trump and Congress agreeing on what reasonable construction would look like." [ed. note: is this the sentence that convinces me to cancel my subscription?]

Military leaders warn Hegseth against extending Iran war operations: A recent classified assessment advised that prolonged large-scale operations in the Middle East risk weakening U.S. capabilities elsewhere.

The Singular Triumph of Driving Down Peanut Allergies: When pediatricians issued new advice about peanuts, parents listened. Why have vaccine recommendations met with so much more resistance? - "A study published last year found that the rate of peanut allergies in American kids under 3 decreased by 43 percent in the period after the new recommendations were put in place. (The study did not prove that the drop in allergies was caused by the guidelines change, but 'it's a very, very tight association temporally,' a different David Hill, a pediatric allergist at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and a co-author of the study, told me.)"

We Are Living in the Fantasy World of 13-Year-Old Boys: Many of the tech billionaires who built our world have taken the wrong lessons from their favorite science fiction. - "What one gathers from these misreadings is not so much that science fiction itself is nefarious, but that arrested development might be. Because teenagers are teenagers, their young imaginations tend to overpower their ethics. These particular boys seem to have never moved beyond a misplaced excitement, and came to fetishize the books they had read rather than revisiting them with adult eyes. When Musk sent up a SpaceX rocket in 2018, he put one of his Tesla Roadsters inside it, and in the car he placed a copy of Asimov's Foundation - unironically. Thiel genuinely felt he was promised the fantastic technologies he'd read about as a kid, and once lamented that if inventors had taken them as seriously as he did 'we'd have colonies on the moon, you'd have robots, you'd have flying cars, you'd have cities in the ocean, under the ocean.'"

China Is Flatlining: The country’s “stability” hides a host of problems.

Reading archive 2026-08-31

Meet the ex-Republicans running as Democrats in the midterms: In races across the country, former GOP politicians are leaning into their pasts.

Tree removals at East Potomac golf course raise alarms

Trump officially plans for civilian federal pay freeze in 2027: The alternative pay plan that the White House issued this week carves out exceptions to give larger raises to federal law enforcement and military personnel.

Kelly Clarkson’s last talk show episode showed why she broke the daytime curse: “The Kelly Clarkson Show,” which ended after seven years, signed off with an hour centered on music — and fans.

With shutdown looming, House leaders aim to quickly pass funding bill: House lawmakers are poised to vote this week on a Senate-passed measure to fund U.S. agencies through Dec. 11, avoiding a federal shutdown before the midterms.

Daniel Lurie, San Francisco’s quiet radical: While his party debates abolishing prisons and owning grocery stores, Democratic Mayor Daniel Lurie is cleaning up his city.

South Carolina turns into a historic Senate race: Darline Graham’s unapologetic honesty helped set up all-female clash.

Trump’s bullying has backfired: Might he try persuasion instead?

RFK Jr. once again proves his critics correct: As a measles outbreak kills in Pennsylvania, the HHS secretary spreads falsehoods about the MMR vaccine.

Months after primary, Lewis George is returning to public stage with D.C. forums: The democratic socialist in line to lead D.C. knows people are pinning their hopes on her. Here’s what she says she’ll do about it. - "Still, he thinks she will have to make some tough choices to get to [72,000 new homes in five years]. 'If you talk to capital right now, they largely don’t want anything to do with D.C. from a housing standpoint,' due in part to the difficulty in collecting rent and having a timely eviction process, he said, adding that making business-friendly changes could upset her base."

Pirro’s special grand jury probing D.C. schools, city oversight of youth: The unusual investigation appears to have a broad scope. Prosecutors have contacted D.C. Public Schools personnel to question them about truancy and graduation rates.

Dispute offers new details on settlement that followed notorious Dupont Circle killing: The estate of Robert Wone says former defendants in a wrongful-death suit have failed to make agreed payments that help fund a scholarship in his name.

The Crisis for Democrats in Michigan: The Senate election presents liberals with a grim choice. - "What's more, El-Sayed has already said that he intends to use his victory as a platform to reshape the party. Him winning could invite a future in which the United States has not just one party that is open to bigots but two."

Reading archive 2026-08-29

Trump lauded low prices at Freedom Fuel. A supplier says some gas wasn’t paid for.: Mansfield Oil Company alleges in a lawsuit that a distributor never paid for gas that was supplied to some Freedom Fuel stations.

Reading archive 2026-08-28

How would I-95 express lane expansion in Northern Virginia work?: Expanding the lanes that run right in the middle of an interstate that's busy at all times of day won't be easy.

Spencer Cox’s Crusade: The Republican governor thinks he can drain the bile from partisan combat. Trying to do it almost broke him.

The Supreme Court Isn’t Interested in Facts: In decision after decision, the conservative justices are ignoring the evidentiary record that lower courts have worked hard to establish. - "The damage from the decision occurs at several levels. It includes the slow unraveling of constitutional structure when a rogue executive encroaches on territory assigned to others, in this case Congress and the states; the institutional signaling when the Court blesses that encroachment; the deepening tangle of the Court's election-law jurisprudence, incoherent as doctrine but reliable in outcome, with the Republican appointees' delivering on Republican interests; the diminishing of public trust in the Court; and the shunting of impositions and uncertainties onto the people who run elections and the people who vote in them."

The Wrath of MAGA: The ferocity of the response to Jon Ossoff reveals something deeper about the world of Trump supporters. - "So why did MAGA world respond as it did? One explanation is psychological. In 2016, Trump found a constituency already primed for grievance, and taught it to want more. His supporters have kept themselves in a state of frenzy ever since. They need to be perpetually outraged, aggrieved, and insulted. MAGA world has become addicted to the feeling. It delivers a jolt of adrenaline, it provides a feeling of social belonging, and it gives people a sharpened sense of purpose. They see themselves as warriors in a drama of their own construction. They view their opponents - Democrats, progressives, critics of Trump - as personifications of evil. Inflicting pain on their enemies feels good, really good, and it feels just.

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"But there's something else going on as well, at least with one subgroup of Trump supporters. I have in mind people who are not true believers but who, for a variety of reasons, long ago made their peace with Trump. These are people-many radio and television commentators, podcasters, and members of Congress among them-who were dedicated conservatives before Trump came along. They believed character was destiny and virtue mattered; they revered the rule of law, institutions, and norms; they championed free trade and free markets, fiscal responsibility, and a strong Western alliance; and they opposed patrimonialism, corruption, and lawlessness in the presidency. 

"They have given up on all of those commitments, and so much more, as the cost of supporting Trump. The cost of speaking out against him, even when they knew better, was simply too high. They wanted to stay in the good graces of those in power. So they broke. And they know they broke. 

"This has caused a painful degree of cognitive dissonance within many of them. They want to think better of themselves-and others to think better of them-than their actions warrant. What they see in Ossoff's comments is a chance to signal that they are still who they once were, or at least seemed to be. In this case, they are portraying themselves as enraged at Ossoff's 'misogynistic lies.' His comments are 'repulsive' and 'guttersnipe statements.' The senator from Georgia is a 'disgusting coward' and a 'disgusting pig.' We're told, 'You don't get lower than that.' They are offended that Ossoff is 'punching down' at 'defenseless' women."

The abject hell of the Lindsay Clancy trial: She’s on trial for the murder of her three children, but she’s already been damned.

Reading archive 2026-08-27

Why Did John Ratcliffe Go to Moscow?: Despite Trump’s claims, the CIA director’s visit was anything but routine. It might be a sign that Putin is getting more dangerous.

The Real Reason Trump Wants Economic Sanctions in Iran: The quieter, longer-term strategy could help push the conflict out of the minds of voters ahead of the midterms. - "With few options remaining, the Trump administration has settled into a potentially lengthy campaign of economic pressure, pledging to squeeze Iran until its leaders have no choice but to seriously return to negotiations. But that tack could prove toothless if the U.S. doesn't also punish the nations that still do business with Iran and keep its economy afloat - and Trump has historically shown little willingness to stand up to the likes of China and Russia, or even North Korea, which has a strategic alliance with Tehran."

Trump Plans to Buy Midterm Ads About His Own Record: The president has come up with a simple plan to win the election: more Trump.

The Jason Arday Truthers: The concerted effort to airbrush the late fabulist’s life - "Without question, the media coverage of Arday was harsh and high-volume. But much of that volume came from competing outlets breaking fresh news, as more and more of Arday's extraordinary claims crumbled under scrutiny. Some commentators have argued that coverage ought to have stopped after his resignation. I feel differently; the reporting should (and I think would) have stopped if he admitted to the fabulism. But Arday died still maintaining that he had never lied, and his memoir is on sale, untroubled by corrections to anecdotes that now seem enormously implausible. 

"Unfortunately, unlike Arday's fabrications, anti-Black racism in Britain is only too real. But you can believe in that without believing in Jason Arday."

How scientists found a weakness in one of the deadliest ‘undruggable’ cancers: An experimental pill has shown unprecedented success in treating pancreatic cancer, upending conventional wisdom about the disease.

A former Mike Collins staffer posted KKK and Nazi images. Some Republicans see a pattern.: Rep. Mike Collins (R-Georgia) is challenging Sen. Jon Ossoff (D). The former Collins staffer posted a swastika and shared an image of himself in what appear to be KKK robes.

Sen. Rand Paul’s Son William Hurled Antisemitic Insults at Rep. Mike Lawler: The younger Paul interrupted Lawler at a Capitol Hill bar to say “Jews” would be to blame if Rep. Thomas Massie loses his primary. - "'Do you think I’m Jewish?' Lawler asked. 'I’m not.' 

"'Oh wow, I’m so sorry for calling you a Jew,' Paul said.

"He then continued on a tirade about how Jews were 'anti-American' and how Lawler and his 'Jewish supporters' served Israel more than America. Lawler repeatedly pushed back and engaged with Paul, defending his support of Israel, and told Paul he was being antisemitic."

Reading archive 2026-08-26

Karen Attiah Is Still Waiting for the Washington Post to Call: The former columnist says she hasn't heard from the paper since an arbitrator ordered it to rehire her.

Why it matters that Dolly Parton wasn’t a mother: With decades of philanthropy, she proved that parenting isn’t the only way to invest in generations of children.

Canada should be ready to cut electricity, critical minerals, Ontario's premier says

They’re about to enter college. But first, they have to learn sign language.: At Gallaudet University, a school for deaf and hard-of-hearing students, not everyone shows up knowing ASL. A program offers help.

The attack on Putin’s $20 billion pipeline can teach the U.S. about cards: Don’t underestimate countries like Ukraine. The Nord Stream sabotage shows why. - "Nord Stream, the world’s largest offshore pipeline system and Vladimir Putin’s flagship geopolitical project in Europe, took more than two decades to complete and cost nearly $20 billion. In September 2022, a handful of Ukrainians destroyed it with a rented yacht, commercially available diving equipment and four civilian divers armed with makeshift explosives."

Is Mojtaba Khamenei Dead?: The office of Iran’s supreme leader has fallen quiet, fueling uncertainty in a country with decisions to make.

The Qataris Gave Trump an Airplane. He Crippled Their Country in Return.: The tiny Gulf state is learning that the U.S. president doesn’t always keep his end of the deal. - "To understand this strange deal - so absurdly corrupt that there is nothing analogous in the history of the American executive branch - it's necessary to understand Qatar, the rare country with both the means and the disposition to even contemplate it. The Qataris don't have allies. They have investments. Their investments in American relationships are undoubtedly their most important, and they've provided billions of dollars of diplomatic and military-support services to the U.S. But at the same time they've been providing money to America's defense, they've also provided support to America's enemies.

...

"The many U.S. intelligence officers, diplomats, and military veterans I spoke with consistently offered the same appraisal: It would be inaccurate to say that Qatar directly 'supports terrorism,' but the country's money and politics support an environment that helps terrorism and extremism flourish."