Reading archive 2026-06-30

The all-natural way to fix the Reflecting Pool: Enlisting nature to help clean up the algae would be more patriotic than tossing in chemicals. - "I’ll be crystal clear: I don’t know if this approach would work. What I do know is that the current strategy has not survived contact with reality, and unless we try something different, we will fail, over and over again. 

"The United States isn’t known for learning quickly from its mistakes. There’s an apocryphal line from Winston Churchill that Americans will always do the right thing, after they’ve tried everything else."

Iran’s leverage over Strait of Hormuz snarls Trump’s push for a deal: The U.S. president is set on bringing gas prices down and reaching a nuclear deal, but Iran has little incentive to cede its newfound power to control shipping traffic.

As war stalls, Putin concedes he never cut a deal with Trump in Alaska: Putin just admitted the Anchorage summit didn’t yield a plan to end the war in Ukraine — perhaps because he needs a real deal now.

Trump is using a $500M no-bid contract to build his White House ballroom: The secret agreement was routed through a White House office that typically handles repairs and furnishings and is exempt from competitive bidding requirements.

American agriculture is broken: Fixing it will require much more than the new farm bill can deliver - "Cheap cash crop exports also carry economic risk, as witnessed by China’s plummeting purchases of US soyabeans amid a trade war. The idea that the US should continue to spend billions of dollars bailing out farmers who are still being incentivised to keep producing a crop that their largest buyer no longer wants (China is actively moving towards more food independence) makes zero sense."

A Watergate Every Week J. D.: Vance contends that the scandal would be “a 12-hour news story” today. He’s probably correct, but the lesson isn’t what he claims.

A Long-Standing Theory of Childbirth Is a Myth: Delivering a human baby is not uniquely difficult.

Reading archive 2026-06-29 pt 2

Trump allows dairy farms a path for migrant labor, upsetting anti-immigration camp: President Donald Trump was expected to announce the expansion of a guest-worker program to the dairy industry at a Wisconsin event. Instead, the news came out in a press release. - "However, Van Orden, a Trump ally who also took credit for persuading the White House to expand the H-2A program, said the policy announcement was delayed because it wasn’t ready in time for Trump’s visit to Wisconsin." [ed. note: lol that's never stopped him before]

What a ‘mansion tax’ did to Los Angeles: Taxes that narrowly target the rich are not the best way for cities to broadly help the poor. - "Any tax will create some combination of two outcomes: new revenue and changed behavior. Which of these results is stronger depends on how the tax is designed. 

"This is where things went wrong. Measure ULA’s goal was to raise revenue, but it was written like a tax to change behavior. Revenue-maximizing taxes tend to have low rates and broad bases. ULA had the opposite. It applied a high rate (transfer taxes rarely exceed 2 percent) to a very narrow base (just 4 percent of the city’s sales are over $5 million). The narrow base was a political advantage but a fiscal liability. It made ULA’s revenue reliant on a small group of people who, precisely because they weren’t everyday owner-occupants, could avoid the tax by choosing not to sell.

When the tax took effect, higher-end sales plunged, and stayed down. Measure ULA, which was projected to raise up to $1.1 billion annually, has averaged just one-third of that. It has also diminished other local revenue. In California, property can’t be reassessed unless it changes hands, so ULA, by reducing transactions, is depressing the local property tax revenue that supports schools and other services."

This voter ID law would spell trouble from Florida to Texas: The Save America Act has a worthy goal. But states can run elections on their own. - "The bill’s design prefers IDs that Democrats tend to have more than Republicans do. It privileges passports, which Democrats own at higher rates than Republicans, and removes concealed carry licenses as permissible ID in several states. The bill also adds paperwork for married women who change their names, who are disproportionately Republicans. And it ends online voter registration for rural — mostly Republican — voters. If Republicans are hoping to gain an electoral edge with this bill, they are sorely mistaken."

Vanilla Ice Knows When America Was Great: To celebrate the country’s 250th birthday, the rapper wants to transport us to another decade. - "A drug-fueled downfall ensued, culminating in a nearly lethal dose of heroin and other substances after a day of jet skiing on July 4, 1994. He told journalists that he'd felt like a 'sellout' who'd been marketed as a pretty-faced simpleton, when really he was a survivor from the streets. 'I've faced a lot of adversity,' he told me. 'Probably more than any person to ever play a record or become a musician.'" [ed. note: l o l]

‘Rush Project at Request of POTUS’: Money once used for crucial national-park repairs is now financing Trump’s redecorating projects.

Reading archive 2026-06-29 pt 1

Why resisting Trump has galvanized Black Democrats as the midterms approach: High primary turnout among Black voters in the South has given some in the party hope for upset wins in the region.

Pete Hegseth’s purges claim one of the military’s superstars: Gen. Christopher Donahue heads into early retirement as the defense secretary seeks to root out MAGA disloyalty.

Organizers remove Confederate flag image from N.C. booth at fair on the Mall: One sponsor said it was withdrawing its participation in the state’s pavilion at the Great American State Fair.

The Great American State Fair feels rushed, simulated and oddly sterile: The Trump administration’s signature 250th celebration is strangely short on nostalgia — and long on defense contractors and “Fox & Friends.”

House Oversight and Government Reform Committee investigating tax noncompliance among feds: The probe comes after a May report from the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration found rising rates of tax delinquency in the federal workforce.

The Trump Pentagon appointee who has divided top Republicans: Elbridge Colby has become the central figure in a battle to define the future of “America First” foreign policy.

What a gastroenterologist wants you to know about bidets: I’ve received so many questions from people who are bidet-curious but not yet bidet-ready.

Cassidy, fresh off a blowup with Trump, blasts RFK Jr.’s policies: The GOP senator said a “foundation of lies” had shaped Kennedy’s health policies. He also accused Trump of treating Congress as an “appendage.”

How Poland’s fate drove the Declaration

Unease deepens in Russia as Ukraine steps up long-range strikes: Experts said Vladimir Putin was unlikely to change course despite worsening fuel shortages and a sharp decline in the stock market.

Pete Buttigieg recounts being separated from his children after bogus complaint: The high-profile Democrat said he was unable to see his twins for 24 hours as police investigated the false report to child protective services. Michigan State Police confirmed they deemed the complaint unfounded. - "Buttigieg said investigators said the anonymous allegation came from a caller who said he spoke to a woman 'who claimed to have met me at a conference several years ago in Alabama, where she said I told her that I had committed unspeakable violent crimes and the caller believed my children were still at risk.'"

Is Florida Finally Tiring of Toxic Republican Politics?

On the Midterms Trail, Andy Beshear Eyes a Bigger Prize: The two-term Democratic governor of deep-red Kentucky, in demand as a surrogate in key 2026 races, talks horses, faith and family politics as he considers a run for the White House

How the Biden Administration ‘Radicalized’ Pete Buttigieg: The former — and potentially future — presidential candidate laid out his vision for a post-Trump Democratic Party in an interview with NOTUS.

Democrats Are Drafting Plans to Govern Like Trump in 2029: He may have inadvertently sown the seeds of a new progressive age.

Trump Cut a Billion-Dollar Mining Deal. His Sons Stand to Profit.: An agreement between the U.S. and Kazakhstan has given a group of American investors with ties to the president and the commerce secretary access to one of the world’s largest untapped reserves of tungsten.

Reading archive 2026-06-26

The Dream Factory: Inside the 'cruel' system behind Argentina's soccer empire

Driver in crash that killed Lyft driver, two passengers sentenced to 29 years: A D.C. Superior Court jury in April had found Nakita Walker guilty of involuntary manslaughter.

‘Yesteryear’ misses the real problem with the tradwife trend: When it comes to marriage and motherhood, traditional and biblical are not the same. - "As an evangelical mother of four who believes that husbands are the leaders of the household and that raising children is a high calling, I might be expected to find nothing valuable in 'Yesteryear.'" [ed. note: yeesh]

Lewis George racks up most support in a D.C. mayoral primary in a generation: D.C.’s presumptive next mayor, a democratic socialist, has amassed more than 75,000 votes, the most dominant primary performance since Adrian Fenty in 2006.

A bumpy beginning for the Great American State Fair: Power outages and other problems led to ride delays and melted ice cream, but many visitors made the best of the 16-day event’s opening on the National Mall.

After wins by democratic socialists, centrist Democrats unite to push back: Thirteen Democratic House members and candidates announced their support for an initiative that commits them to centrist principles.

Reading archive 2026-06-25

At this point, the Reflecting Pool deserves an Emmy: The scene unfolding on the National Mall is the must-watch show of the summer. It’s a drama. A farce. A whodunit. A murder mystery.

Why the South is the only U.S. region growing across every age group: Population across the region grew across all age groups between 2020 and 2025. But it was the only region with growing numbers of people under 18.

Everyone is worried about AI killing jobs. She’s testing a fix-it plan.: Former Biden administration official Gina Raimondo is leading a bipartisan effort to AI-proof the country’s workforce.

We’re dermatologists. Sunscreen isn’t the problem.: Every year, a safe-sunscreen guide sparks needless concern.

Supreme Court blocks thousands of suits claiming Roundup causes cancer: The ruling restricts one of the largest waves of product liability lawsuits in the history of the nation. [ed. note: 7-2, KBJ and Gorsuch dissenting]

Iran strikes cargo ship on U.N.-backed route in Strait of Hormuz: The attack comes after a spike in vessels using a new shipping lane set up by the U.N. and Oman.

RFK Jr. urged Iowa candidate to make deal to help GOP win House seat, per audio recording: The health secretary urged Iowa Libertarian candidates to drop out of key races to help Republicans keep control of Congress, according to interviews and a recording obtained by The Post. The effort highlights mounting GOP anxiety over the battle for the House.

Trump’s latest declaration of an emergency leaves GOP allies scrambling again: House Speaker Mike Johnson heads to the White House a day after the president canceled a signing ceremony for a housing bill, using it as leverage for elections legislation he deems urgent.

Burnham Is Britain’s Last Chance Before Farage: If he becomes prime minister, he has three years to fix the country.

New York’s Warning for Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer: They aren’t the dominant force in their hometown.

Reading archive 2026-06-24

‘It’s PR, not the ER’: Gen Z is resisting the workplace emergency: As the workforce evolves, younger generations are rejecting a frenetic approach to work that can create undue stress and cross work-life balance boundaries. - "It’s a little morbid, Jiles said, but she thinks of something her mother told her: 'At the end of the day, if you pass away, they’re just going to post your position and talk about how nice you were,' Jiles said. 'Do what you can. Do it well, but that’s it.'"

With Cuba, Trump had better beware of what he wishes for: What obligation does the U.S. bear toward the impoverished island prison?

Rocked by the Iran war, the UAE sours on Trump: ‘We got played’: Across the Persian Gulf region, the president was viewed as a pro-business ally, but his decision to wage war on Iran and his erratic conduct have tarnished his image.

Another Top General Is Out at the Pentagon: C. D. Donahue, the last American soldier to leave Afghanistan, is the latest in a long line of military departures. - "Donahue would be at least the sixth three- or four-star Army general to depart unexpectedly, out of the roughly 60 generals in the service who hold those ranks. They include the well-regarded General James Mingus, a former Army vice chief of staff. 'It's interesting that the guy who says he wants to bring back the warrior culture is expunging the biggest warriors in the Army ranks,' one retired Army officer told us. 'This is not a war on woke. This is a war on warriors.'"

SpaceX Just Needs the Money: What this year of humongous IPOs says about the tech industry - "Historically, this combination of a wave of IPOs and a rise in existing companies issuing more stock has not boded well for stocks in the long term. In many cases, a big surge in stock supply overwhelms demand-and raises questions about whether markets are properly reflecting value or inflating a bubble. As the economist and hedge-fund manager Owen Lamont has written, 'When firms are selling, you should generally sell as well.' The volatility of SpaceX stock, which has tumbled for days, erasing nearly all of the gains enjoyed by the average investor, shows just how much uncertainty attends even the most hyped stock offerings in a risky industry."

Inside the Dirty, Dystopian World of AI Data Centers: The race to power AI is already remaking the physical world. - "For now, using existing power sources more wisely, rather than building new ones, may be all the AI industry needs. Electrical grids are designed for periods of peak demand - cooling on summer afternoons, heating on winter mornings - but mostly they run well below maximum capacity. Researchers at Duke University have shown that if data centers reduced their electricity consumption during some of those peaks, it would free up enough electricity to accommodate the country's planned data centers for years. Google and xAI have already entered agreements to do so."

Reading archive 2026-06-23

A new subscription model could make rooftop solar as easy as Netflix: The end of federal tax credits for rooftop solar and flexible new subscriptions have changed the pros and cons of leasing versus buying.

Two rich Democrats were friends. Now they are spending millions to attack each other.: Wine mogul David Trone is spending big in a comeback bid as wealthy incumbent April McClain Delaney aggressively defends her seat.

What Brexit really gave Britain: Leaving the European Union has made British politicians more accountable for the U.K.’s problems, which persist.

Democrats’ Great Alaskan Hope: Mary Peltola, the Democrat most likely to win a red-state Senate seat this year, is largely unknown outside her home state. That’s not a coincidence.

First the Kennedy Center, Now the Smithsonian: How long can the museum system’s leader, Lonnie Bunch, survive?