Reading archive 2021-12-17

In latest affordable housing push, Bowser focuses west of Rock Creek Park - "Drew Hubbard, interim director for the D.C. Department of Housing and Community Development, said faith-based institutions own about 1,450 vacant parcels of land in D.C., which if used strategically could produce upward of 6,000 new homes."

Opinion: A Fox News defector gets it right on Laura Ingraham — and on MAGA - "The Jan. 6 violence actually was about disrupting the election’s outcome. And it functioned as the outgrowth of a larger effort that actually was about thwarting a legitimately elected government from taking power."

A QAnon con: How the viral Wayfair sex trafficking lie hurt real kids: An Internet mob wanted to rescue a 13-year-old girl. Instead, they terrified her, derailed real trafficking investigations and incited ‘save the children’ violence. - "A nurse giving her a sexual assault examination had recognized the warning signs. She called a local advocate, who would come to learn that this woman in her 30s had been coerced by two men to sell herself out of a hotel. In exchange, she got a place to stay. 

"The advocate, Katie Howard, knew this was what most sex trafficking looked like in America. Not kidnapping. Not stranger danger. Not Wayfair cabinets or pillows. Just a person being manipulated by someone exploiting their vulnerability.

...

"Ongoing investigations across the country were put on hold while a viral lie took precedence.

...

"After Facebook started placing warning labels on Wayfair-related content and Twitter started banning those promoting it, Q followers went even further in co-opting the anti-sex trafficking cause. They started using the name of an international humanitarian organization, Save the Children, as their hashtag. The hashtag became a rallying cry, fit for pastel-colored Instagram posts and homemade posters waved at the roughly 200 'save the children' events that took place in late summer 2020, from Spokane, Wash., to Sarasota, Fla."

Reading archive 2021-12-15

German court convicts Russian in brazen Berlin assassination, links it to Moscow

Reading archive 2021-12-14

WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE: The Smithsonian’s #MeToo Moment

Climate change has destabilized the Earth’s poles, putting the rest of the planet in peril: New research shows how rising temperatures have irreversibly altered both the Arctic and Antarctic. Ripple effects will be felt around the globe. - "Aerial surveys document how warmer conditions have allowed beavers to invade the Arctic tundra, flooding the landscape with their dams. Large commercial ships are increasingly infiltrating formerly frozen areas, disturbing wildlife and generating disastrous amounts of trash."

Documents link Huawei to China’s surveillance programs

Staunch evangelical allies of Israel upset by Trump’s outburst on Netanyahu

3 residents of The Villages arrested for casting multiple votes in 2020 election: Few Central Floridians have faced similar charges over past two decades, records show - "All three are registered as Republicans in Florida, voter registration records show. 

"Facebook pages that appear to belong to Ketcik and Halstead contain several posts expressing support for former president Donald Trump."

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has paid his first voter fraud bounty. It went to an unexpected recipient: Patrick, a Republican, promised to pay $25,000 to any tipster who came forward with evidence of real voter fraud. He cut his first check this week.

Mark Meadows’ Personal Cell Is Becoming a Personal Hell

D.C. mayor unveils plans to incentivize office-to-residential conversions as downtown struggles to recover: The market for office space was already slowing before the pandemic when office workers abandoned downtown en masse and have yet to fully return

Taxpayers spent billions bailing out airlines. Did the industry hold up its end of the deal?: Questions have emerged about what worked, and what didn’t, after one of Washington’s most powerful industries was propped up by federal money

Daniel Snyder pledged support for the NFL’s investigation. His actions tell a different story.: Washington’s owner took former employees to court, deployed private investigators and was accused of trying to ‘silence’ a key accuser

Reading archive 2021-12-11

The worker revolt comes to a Dollar General in Connecticut: A call to a union triggers one of the most lopsided battles of the ongoing low-wage-worker revolt

Six ways Russia views Ukraine — and why each should worry the West

Dr. Oz Claims He’s Been Canceled (He Hasn’t Been Canceled)

Reading archive 2021-12-10

Tropical forests can recover from deforestation remarkably fast and on their own, new study finds: The study observed that soil fertility on previously deforested land can return in less than a decade. But that doesn’t give people a ‘license to kill,’ an author of the study said.

Two kids, a loaded gun and the man who left a 4-year-old to die: The children will never recover from what happened inside a D.C. apartment. The owner of the illegal gun faces far less serious consequences. - "Through July, 49 percent of the people known to have committed a homicide in the District in 2021 had a prior gun arrest, according to a review by D.C. police. In 2020, it was 53 percent.

...

"The law’s [Youth Rehabilitation Act] detractors, including police and prosecutors, have long criticized it for providing a reprieve to violent criminals, because only those guilty of the most heinous crimes — murder and sexual abuse — are barred from consideration. Five years ago, a Washington Post investigation found hundreds sentenced under the Youth Act went on to commit robberies, rapes and homicides."

Many parents of school shooters ignore glaring warning signs. This grandmother didn’t.: When Catherine O’Connor discovered her grandson was planning an attack, she did what few parents or guardians do: reported a child she loved to police

She brought diverse skin tones emoji to the iPhone. Now she’s suing Apple.: Katrina Parrott, a Black mother in Texas, created an iPhone app so her daughter could express herself. But after helping Apple, she claims, the company left her high and dry.

D.C. To Add Dozens Of Violence Interrupters Across The City

Reading archive 2021-12-09

Biocontrol of invasive pheretimoid earthworms using Beauveria bassiana

How can schools detect potentially violent students? Researchers have an answer.

Opinion: Al Gore was manly. Josh Hawley, not so much.

Low-profile heiress who ‘played a strong role’ in financing Jan. 6 rally is thrust into spotlight

Long covid is destroying careers, leaving economic distress in its wake: Suffering from debilitating exhaustion and pain for months, patients find themselves on food stamps and Medicaid

DC Metro operator appeared to fall asleep multiple times, train ran red signal: report

Reading archive 2021-12-08

China is the world’s 'biggest captor of journalists’ with 127 detained, report says

After Medina Spirit’s death, the uncomfortable spotlight on racehorse fatalities returns

First lab results show omicron has ‘much more extensive escape’ from antibodies than previous variants: Experimental results are not surprising, given number of mutations in new variant

Two years into this pandemic, the world is dangerously unprepared for the next one, report says: With its vast wealth and scientific capability, the United States held on to its top ranking among 195 countries, even as it scored lowest on public confidence in government — a factor associated with high numbers of cases and deaths

D.C. Woman Called Police Twice, Saying Someone Was Stalking Her. Hours Later, She Was Found Slain

Reading archive 2021-12-07

Opinion: In Georgia, Republicans’ Faustian bargain with Trump is catching up with them

Opinion: A GOP lawyer issues a frantic warning to his own party about Trump and 2024

Opinion: An angry rift between Trump and Bannon signals the far-right’s future

Charlottesville’s Robert E. Lee statue will be melted down by city’s African American history museum

France detains suspect in murder of Jamal Khashoggi at Paris airport

Inside CNN’s decision to fire Chris Cuomo: ‘He gave me his word’: An unrelated sexual misconduct claim may have only hastened Jeff Zucker’s decision to dismiss his star anchor for crossing ethical lines to help his brother

Advocates push nationwide movement for land return to Blacks after victory in California: One Black family’s successful fight to reclaim a picturesque stretch of beach is giving hope to others seeking the return of property that was taken from them

Reading archive 2021-12-06

Myth Busting for Extension Educators: Reviewing the Literature on Pruning Woody Plants

Chris Cuomo fired by CNN after aiding governor brother and other ‘new allegations’: Suspended for advising Andrew M. Cuomo, the star host was dismissed days later. A new report now says a lawyer told CNN of a sexual misconduct claim.

U.S. warns it has ‘tools’ to deal with Iran if nuclear talks fail

No U.S. government official will attend Beijing Winter Olympics, White House announces

The vicious 150-year rivalry between Utah’s two biggest newspapers

Reading archive 2021-12-04

The Flawed Science of Antibody Testing for SARS-CoV-2 Immunity

Reading archive 2021-12-04

Russia planning massive military offensive against Ukraine involving 175,000 troops, U.S. intelligence warns

A plumber was working on a toilet at Joel Osteen’s church. Then a trove of cash and checks fell out of the wall.

Marcus Lamb died of covid-19 after his network discouraged vaccines. But some Christian leaders don’t want to talk about it.

Reading archive 2021-12-03

U.S. is top contributor to plastic waste, report shows: Scientists reveal the U.S. role in the ‘deluge’ of plastic littering the world’s oceans in a congressionally mandated report - "The United States contributes more to this deluge than any other nation, according to the analysis, generating about 287 pounds of plastics per person. Overall, the United States produced 42 million metric tons of plastic waste in 2016 — almost twice as much as China, and more than the entire European Union combined."

Omicron covid variant three times more likely to cause reinfection than delta, S. Africa study says

Reading archive 2021-12-02

CIA Report Shows Trump Abandoned His Duty as Commander in Chief: The agency had to trick Trump into paying attention to intelligence.

In first interview from jail, suspect accused of killing 6 in Wisconsin parade rampage says he feels ‘demonized’

Potential collapse of Roe shakes up political landscape

Reading archive 2021-12-01

Opinion: Why the CIA is so worried about Russia and Ukraine

CIA director warns Russian spies of ‘consequences’ if they are behind ‘Havana Syndrome’ incidents

‘Hate crime’ attacks by Israeli settlers on Palestinians spike in the West Bank

Which birds are the biggest jerks at the feeder? A massive data analysis reveals the answer.: Presenting the ultimate bird-feeder pecking order

Enes Kanter Freedom, off the bench and onto Fox News, is a true American now - "There’s pure passion in his cause but also the stain of self-promotion. For this reason, Mr. Freedom just might be the perfect American."

15-year-old charged with terrorism, murder in Oxford High shooting as fourth victim dies

Michigan school shooting prosecutor suggests she will charge parents

Reading archive 2021-11-24 through 2021-11-30

Ukraine’s Zelensky alleges Russia plotting coup against him for next week

Michael Vick found a future on TV, but his past is still chasing

Organ transplant patients are at risk from covid. But some donors and recipients are fighting vaccination requirements.

Who’s Killing the Grizzlies of Fremont County?: Grizzly bears are protected under federal law. When three were killed in an Idaho community, it didn’t seem like a coincidence.

The Fierce Politics of Dust: A small town in southern Utah wanted to suppress dust on its roads. Not everyone was pleased.

How to Save the Prairie, Acre by Acre: The vital Kansas ecosystem is rapidly shrinking. Its future depends on private landowners like Lorna Harder.

CNN suspends Chris Cuomo ‘indefinitely’ after documents detail help he gave his brother: The decision follows revelations that he was far more involved in the efforts of former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo than previously known

Reading archive 2021-11-23

What is polysorbate, and why is it in my food?

INVASION OF THE GREEN STINKWORMS: MANAGING AMYNTHAS HUPEIENSIS ON GREENS: An Asian earthworm could become quite a nuisance on golf courses.

Opinion: Our Foghorn Leghorn Republican senator little resembles his former Democratic self, but in Louisiana we know the type - "But what stood out in that 2004 interview was the absence of the homey sayings, abusive zingers and character assassinations that have become Kennedy trademarks. He was nothing like the man you see these days insulting House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) — 'It must suck to be that dumb' — or vilifying then-Interior secretary nominee Deb Haaland as 'a neo-socialist, left-of-Lenin whack job.'"

The teens who hated Abercrombie are the adults shopping there now — and they can’t believe it either

Climate change fuels a water rights conflict built on over a century of broken promises - "Unrestricted cattle grazing upstream releases phosphorus into the lake, and as water levels fall due to irrigation, the concentration of contaminants kills the fish, Gonyaw said. 

"Development along the shores of the lake has also upset the balance. Without wetlands to filter out the contaminants, toxic algae thrives, ultimately suffocating the juvenile fish.

...

"Any veteran with $2,000, two years of farm experience, and 'habits of honesty, temperance, thrift and industry' could apply for one of the 60-to-141-acre plots. The plots were 'acres of rich bottom land' that were “cultivated into fertile farm lots” by Japanese Americans, who had been forcefully detained at the nearby Tule Lake segregation center during the war."

Reading archive 2021-11-22

These Americans Are Just Going Around in Circles. It Helps the Climate.: An Indiana city has the most roundabouts in the country. They’ve saved lives and reduced injuries from crashes — and lowered carbon emissions. - "Carmel, Ind., has the most roundabouts in the country. The main reason is safety; compared with regular intersections, roundabouts significantly reduce injuries and deaths. 

"And because the city doesn’t have red lights where cars sit and idle, burning gasoline, the cars of Carmel emit many fewer tons of planet-heating carbon emissions a year. 

"The reason that Carmel has so many roundabouts is Jim Brainard, the city’s seven-term Republican mayor. When he studied at the University of Oxford in the 1980s, he became taken with European traffic flow. Brainard built Carmel’s first roundabout in 1997. Now it has 140, with a dozen still to come.

...

"Having greener intersections dovetails with Mr. Brainard’s climate mitigation efforts. He was among the thousands of leaders who pledged to uphold the Paris climate agreement when former President Donald J. Trump announced the American pullout in 2017. Carmel’s city vehicles are either hybrid or run by biofuels, green spaces sown with native plants have exploded in number and size, and solar panels help fuel the city’s water treatment and sewage plants. Under Mr. Brainard’s watch, the city has also added bike paths, taken out traffic lanes, widened sidewalks and increased walkability, all in an effort to get people out of their cars."

Driver suspected of killing 5 at Wisconsin parade was speeding away from a knife fight, official says

Inching Toward De-Extinction: Can CRISPR Resurrect Passenger Pigeons?

Two Fox News pundits quit over concerns about ‘conspiracy-mongering’ Jan. 6 documentary: Conservative writers Jonah Goldberg and Stephen Hayes said ‘the voices of the responsible are being drowned out by the irresponsible’ at Fox

Inside the QAnon Cult That Believes JFK Is About to Return: “Many people make huge sacrifices financially, in their relationships, in their lives, just to be there.”

The QAnon JFK Cult in Dallas Is Tearing Families Apart: “My sister may be too far gone, but it's not too late to bring awareness to others. Do not fall into this trap.”

Michael Flynn Wants to Outlaw All Religions Except Christianity Now: “If we are going to have one nation under God, which we must, we have to have one religion,” Flynn told a QAnon conference over the weekend.

QAnon Leader Ron Watkins Is Running for Congress and It’s Not Going Great: The QAnon influencer vowed to raise “at least a million dollars” and win a House seat in Arizona. How’s that going?

Reading archive 2021-11-21

Marine Corps compliance with vaccine mandate on course to be military’s worst

In Ukraine, a suspected torturer from the breakaway east was found hiding in plain sight

Reading archive 2021-11-20

Olympics official warns that Peng Shuai case ‘may spin out of control’ as photos of tennis star raise questions

Pete Buttigieg, handed billions of dollars, gains influence with opportunity to shape national infrastructure priorities: His role to oversee infrastructure puts him at the center of a chief White House accomplishment

Ousted from power, Israel’s ultra-Orthodox lose the final word on what’s kosher - "The changes could also ease the burden on entrepreneurs. Last year, for instance, the owner of Jerusalem’s Kalo cafe was told that his Palestinian cook could no longer use an induction cooktop, which heats up automatically when the pot touches the surface, because the inspector ruled that this violated the religious prohibition on non-Jews lighting a stove."

Reading archive 2021-11-19

China's Foreign Ministry 'not aware' of situation surrounding tennis player Peng Shuai

Smithsonian African American museum launches online interactive access The new ‘Searchable Museum’ will bring a trove of artifacts, stories and images to the Internet - "The exhibition is 'searchable within the museum but also searchable expanding across the Smithsonian and further out,' said Mary Elliott, the curator of the museum’s first digital exhibition, called 'Slavery and Freedom.'" [ed. note: it is not]

Antibody protection after mild COVID-19 may not last; an estimated 100 million people have had long COVID

‘Game of Thrones’ was not a perfect show. ‘The Wheel of Time’ makes it look like a masterpiece.

Fauci swamped by angry calls over beagle experiments after campaign that included misleading image: Little known animal-rights group leverages hostility among conservatives toward U.S. covid chief - "In an interview with The Post, one of the researchers, Abhay Satoskar, a professor of pathology and microbiology at Ohio State University, explained how the mistake occurred. Satoskar said an NIAID grant that the same group of scientists had received for a different experiment was mistakenly cited for the trapped-beagles study. 'It had nothing to do with NIAID,' Satoskar said.

...

"The trapped-beagles study does not appear in a database of NIH-funded projects."

Reading archive 2021-11-18

They bought houses in Italy for 1 euro — and are using them to give back to the community: Meet the people turning the crumbling homes into businesses and social projects in aging towns

Trump’s move of Bureau of Land Management HQ dramatically worsened diversity, report says: Government Accountability Office report also finds headquarters move to Colorado led to ‘confusion and inefficiency’ at BLM

In Charlottesville trial, jurors learn to decode the secret slang of white supremacists

Belarus’s Lukashenko tried to use migrants as a weapon. That’s now turned against him.

It’s hailed as the clean energy of the future. But hydrogen produces ‘substantial’ emissions, study shows.: New research casts doubt on the environmental credentials of ‘blue’ hydrogen produced using fossils fuels

Exclusive: Marriott refused to host Uyghur conference, citing "political neutrality"

A hiker stumbled across a stream that reeked of beer. The alcohol content was 1.2%, tests found.

Reading archive 2021-11-17

The second-biggest program in the Democrats’ spending plan gives billions to the rich: Raising the state and local tax deduction cap would primarily benefit the top 10 percent of income earners

A Texas college student allegedly set fire to a synagogue. He now faces a federal arson charge. - "Authorities say Sechriest kept stickers with Nazi propaganda and swastikas, as well as journals suggesting his disdain for Jewish people."

‘QAnon shaman’ sentenced to 41 months for role in Capitol riot

Reading archive 2021-11-16

Why Some Lesbian, Gay And Bisexual Americans Are Loyal To The GOP [ed. note lol these poor broken fucks]

Facebook’s Algorithm Is Broken. We Collected Some Spicy Suggestions On How To Fix It.

His program was built to prep prospects for the NBA draft. It left them adrift instead.

Judge rejects mistrial request in Arbery case, calls defense lawyer’s comments ‘reprehensible’

D.C. will no longer require masks in many public settings, Bowser announces

D.C. moves to remake infamous ‘Dave Thomas Circle’ in busy New York Avenue corridor

Reading archive 2021-11-15

A zoo’s three ‘beloved’ snow leopards die of covid-19 - "Zoetis, a former Pfizer subsidiary based in New Jersey, has provided an animal-specific coronavirus vaccine to zoos across the country. The Lincoln Children’s Zoo did not immediately respond to an interview request."

Opinion: A newly disclosed memo reveals Trump’s plot to turn the military into his personal goon squad

The vaccine tore her family apart. Could a death bring them back together?: Laurel Haught moved out of her own home to escape her unvaccinated daughter. Now they are facing a funeral, the coming holidays and the divide splitting many American families. - "Jake Haught, Joel’s younger brother and next-door neighbor on Lake Chaweva, doubts that his brother died of a massive heart attack. He believes the coronavirus vaccine may have caused his death.

...

"And there was Samuel Scott — taking a break from Brighteon videos that falsely asserted the coronavirus vaccine contained a parasitical and possibly self-aware organism — so that he could attend the service of his lifelong neighbor. Scott had descended from his ridgetop cabin in a white robe and red clerical vestment, and was now singing reggae songs through a PA system." [ed. note: jfc spare me]

Reading archive 2021-11-12

Opinion: Have Democrats reached the limits of White appeasement politics?

Out of uniform. Still in the fight.: Seven veterans, each on a mission to end the often avoidable harms that afflict those who serve

London’s River Thames, now home to sharks, seals and sea horses, is no longer ‘biologically dead’

An Air Force sergeant killed himself on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. The note he left is heartbreaking.

A veteran helped spread viral 9/11 conspiracy theories. Can he start over?: Nearly 20 years after shipping off to war, a soldier who helped make the ‘Loose Change’ video wrestles with the power stories have to heal and to destroy.

Two more candidates join a crowded at-large D.C. Council race

Bruce V. Spiva, longtime D.C. lawyer, will run for city attorney general

Candidates debate in hot Ward 5 D.C. Council race

Trump defends Jan. 6 rioters' 'hang Mike Pence' chant in new audio: The audio captured part of an interview ABC News’ Jonathan Karl conducted with Trump at Mar-a-Lago in March for Karl’s upcoming book.

Qatar to represent U.S. interests in Afghanistan

Ala. man pleads guilty to bringing molotov cocktails, five loaded firearms to Capitol on Jan. 6

Reading archive 2021-11-10

Newsmax tries to assuage furor of conservative hosts over vaccine mandate: On-air stars went from venting anger at their company’s policy to accusing ‘fake news’ of trying to turn viewers against the channel

How the media missed a New Jersey senate candidate’s racist social media posts — until he’d already won.

Opinion: Zillow sent its algorithm to take on the housing market. The housing market won.

Opinion: Liz Cheney got something right — and some things very wrong - "Heroes without context and adversity are not heroic; America is a lesser country when its penchant for self-examination and self-improvement is forgotten."

N.J. man sentenced to 41 months for assaulting officer, stiffest punishment yet in Jan. 6 cases Scott Fairlamb is the first person sentenced for assaulting a police officer in the Capitol attack.

Serious about climate change? Get serious about peat.

Asian lady beetles are swarming the Mid-Atlantic thanks to warm, fall weather: The beetles smell bad, bite and produce a yellow stain if you squish them. And they want to spend the winter in your home.

Reading archive 2021-11-09

Laboratory-Confirmed COVID-19 Among Adults Hospitalized with COVID-19–Like Illness with Infection-Induced or mRNA Vaccine-Induced SARS-CoV-2 Immunity — Nine States, January–September 2021

A secret tape made after Columbine shows the NRA's evolution on school shootings

Teen who hit 6 bicyclists with truck while allegedly harassing them faces felony charges, authorities say

Dave Portnoy of Barstool Sports wages war on Insider over article about his sexual conduct: It’s a familiar scenario in the Barstool universe, in which fans of the company lob attacks on perceived critics, often at Portnoy’s signal

The false claim that only 11 percent of the infrastructure bill goes to ‘real infrastructure’

Harnessing the energy of the ocean to power homes, planes and whisky distilleries

Where electric cars could help save coal: In states like North Dakota, giving up gasoline might not mean giving up fossil fuels

Reading archive 2021-11-08

Aaron Rodgers said he did the research on covid vaccines. Here’s how he was wrong, according to experts

My hearing isn’t what it used to be. But will I look old wearing an ear device?

Nearing Monday coronavirus vaccine deadline, thousands of federal workers seek religious exemptions to avoid shots

A 16-year-old girl learned a hand gesture on TikTok to signal for help. Law enforcement says it saved her life.

Mold, mice, month of protests put Howard’s housing contract under scrutiny: Students are calling on Howard University leaders to cut ties with the private company that manages 60 percent of campus housing.

Capitol rioter Evan Neumann applies for asylum in Belarus, local media says

A Dog’s Life: Why are so many people so cruel to their dogs? My search to understand a hidden scourge.

Mitch McConnell spent decades chasing power. Now he heeds Trump, who mocks him and wants him gone.: How one of Washington’s longtime Republican power players succumbed to the preeminence of the 45th president

Jordan Love, Trevor Siemian, and The Replacements - "Yet Rodgers is a grievance junkie, perpetually dissatisfied with his coaches, his team, the NFL, the union, his own family, and now, apparently, the scientific community and much of mainstream society. Rodgers believes he's a better general manager, epidemiologist, and (presumably) game show host than the folks who do those things for a living, and he's bitterly disappointed at all of us who are foolish enough to disagree. He's never a very happy camper."

How not to do outside research: Aaron Rodgers offers a master class in what an independent thinker should not do - "Rodgers told a lot more falsehoods, but life is short and you can read about his hubris elsewhere. What is fascinating about this is that Rodgers should know better. Any professional football player must encounter 'independent thinkers' who tell him how he could play his game better all the time. My podcast partner Ana Marie Cox justifiably tweets, '[imagine] how Rodgers responds to the fans who tell him they’ve put a lot of time and energy into researching and met with a lot of different people in the football field and they really think he shouldn’t have gone for it on that last fourth down.' He would probably be pretty annoyed!"

The strategic hole at the center of ‘Dune’: I enjoy almost everything about “Dune.” Except this one thing.

Opinion: Indictment of Steele dossier source is more bad news for multiple media outlets

Scoop: Ex-D.C. Council member Harry Thomas plans run

After embezzling youth funds, a former D.C. lawmaker reenters politics - "Ursula Higgins, a neighborhood commissioner in Ward 5, called Thomas’s return 'fantastic.' 

"'Yes, he has had things he has done in the past, and he has paid the price for his actions,' Higgins said. 'But I also think he has the heart and desire for the city to go in a positive direction.'

...

"Harry Thomas, in contrast, eased his way back into politics. He worked on Dionne Reeder’s unsuccessful 2018 council campaign and has done consulting work for local businesses. He told The Washington Post he has also been advocating for criminal justice reform and against prison labor."

Reading archive 2021-11-07

Opinion: It’s time to abolish college fraternities

Opinion: Newsmax forced to admit vaccines don’t make you glow

Opinion: How Biden’s Afghan blunder is already endangering U.S. security

Reading archive 2021-11-05

These stories are supposed to give you nightmares

The rise and fall of the Jack Daniel’s committee: How D.C.’s police lodge made thousands selling whiskey online - "'If it was ever against the law, we would never have done it,' said Maybo, the former lodge president, in a recent interview. After all, he said, the whole thing was done by police officers, in front of police officers. 'I would imagine that if I’m doing something illegal, if the FOP were doing something illegal, somebody would have said that. And it went on for years.'

"Experts in alcohol law said the Jack Daniel’s committee’s actions appeared to be a clear-cut violation of the law in D.C. and multiple states. 

"'These are cops?' asked Michael Brill Newman, who leads the alcoholic-beverage team at the firm Holland & Knight."

Reading archive 2021-11-04

Aaron Rodgers is entitled to stay unvaccinated. He’s not entitled to lie about it.

‘We are in crisis mode’: Museum workers are turning to unions over conditions they say are untenable

A GOP strategist was charged with sex trafficking minors. Then he tried to ‘threaten’ law enforcement, judge says.

Igor Danchenko arrested, charged with lying to FBI about information in Steele dossier

He predicted the dark side of the Internet 30 years ago. Why did no one listen?: Philip Agre, a computer scientist turned humanities professor, was prescient about many of the ways technology would impact the world - "But Agre isn’t available. In 2009, he simply dropped off the face of the earth, abandoning his position at UCLA. When friends reported Agre missing, police located him and confirmed that he was okay, but Agre never returned to the public debate. His closest friends declined to further discuss details of his disappearance, citing respect for Agre’s privacy."

This tribe helped the Pilgrims survive for their first Thanksgiving. They still regret it 400 years later.: Long marginalized and misrepresented in U.S. history, the Wampanoags are bracing for the 400th anniversary of the first Pilgrim Thanksgiving in 1621

Reading archive 2021-11-03

A novel way to reduce emissions? China tries confiscating coal from households.

Reading archive 2021-11-02

CDC finds immunity from vaccines is more consistent than from infection, but both last at least six months: Naturally acquired immunity is at the center of a political fight over President Biden’s vaccine mandates.

Breitbart has outsize influence over climate change denial on Facebook, report says: A new report suggests 10 publishers, including RT and the Federalist Papers, are responsible for nearly 70 percent of interactions with climate change misinformation on the platform

Boosted by the pandemic, ‘constitutional sheriffs’ are a political force

Reading archive 2021-11-01

Will that college degree pay off? A look at some of the numbers

Opinion: Partisan attacks drove me out of my job as a Texas elections official

Reading archive 2021-10-31

Hell caves, evil fairies and animal sacrifice: Halloween’s intense Irish roots - "Halloween arrived on our shores in the 1840s with a wave of Irish immigrants pushed out of their home country by the Great Famine. The 19th-century golden age of magazines, particularly women’s magazines, pushed it out of immigrant enclaves and into the broader public. 

"'Middle-class housewives loved reading stories about quaint, regional celebrations, so the magazines would include these stories about Halloween festivities and parties and so forth, and they caught on,' Morton said."

U.S. missionaries have long tried to convert the ‘unreached’ in the Amazon. Now Indigenous groups are fighting back.

How does a pandemic start winding down? You are looking at it.: Coronavirus infections are down, hopes are up, but uncertain forecasts put the Biden administration in a pandemic messaging bind

Reading archive 2021-10-30

Inside Russia's ‘fourth wave’: Record deaths, deep frustration and plenty of blame

Two doors, few windows and 4,500 students: Architect quits over billionaire’s mega dorm

Trump looks to 2024, commanding a fundraising juggernaut, as he skirts social media bans

Reading archive 2021-10-29

Air Force is first to face troops’ rejection of vaccine mandate as thousands avoid shots

Flight attendant suffers broken bones in ‘one of the worst displays of unruly behavior’ in the skies: The incident prompted the pilots to divert the flight to Denver, where a passenger was detained

Opinion: D.C. officials are finally asking questions about the city’s housing authority. They need to ask themselves some questions, too. - "That little-known action was a major step forward by D.C. lawmakers whose traditional mode of oversight when confronted with monstrously incompetent government conduct, or legally or morally questionable behavior, is to adhere to the proverbial principle: 'hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil.' How else can DCHA, the D.C. Lottery, Medicaid contracting or the clearing of homeless encampments be explained?"

Opinion: We’re LGBTQIA+ students in Fairfax County. We’re tired of our lives being used for political gain.

Mark Zuckerberg just laid out his vision for the metaverse. These are the five things you should know.: The Meta CEO expects parts of the metaverse to go mainstream in five to 10 years

In battle at Supreme Court over N.Y. gun law, a surprising split among conservatives

The repeated claim that Fauci lied to Congress about ‘gain-of-function’ research

Reading archive 2021-10-28

Los Angeles Rams owner Stan Kroenke angers NFL owners with financial pivot related to lawsuit on St. Louis move, sources say

Opinion: To see climate change in action, just look in your own backyard

Climate change is making poison ivy stronger and itchier: Carbon dioxide and warmer soils could be supercharging everyone’s least favorite plant. - "Research shows that the main culprit behind climate change — increased concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere — is supercharging poison ivy."

Chief federal judge in D.C. assails ‘almost schizophrenic’ Jan. 6 prosecutions: ‘The rioters were not mere protesters’

D.C.’s highest court clears way for McMillan development to proceed

The 14 things you need to know about Trump’s letter in the Wall Street Journal

'When do we get to use the guns?’: The ongoing danger of false fraud claims

Welcome to Tverskaya Street

Reading archive 2021-10-27

Mastodon's Founder Says Trump's New Social Network Is Just Mastodon: 'Truth Social', which will launch officially later in the year, is seemingly using Mastodon's codebase without credit.

Pushing election lies, TPUSA audience member asks Charlie Kirk when they can “use the guns” and “kill these people”

Inside Nick Rolovich's downfall at Washington State over the COVID-19 vaccine

Opinion: Manchin warns that Biden’s agenda would create an ‘entitlement society.’ But his state leads the way. - "Not surprising from a senator who hails from a state that presents itself as fiercely self-reliant. But in fact, West Virginians are not only older, sicker and poorer than most of the nation; they are, by some measures, more reliant on the federal government than any other state."

Top U.S. general calls China’s hypersonic weapon test very close to a ‘Sputnik moment’

In Poland’s politics, a ‘social civil war’ brewed as Facebook rewarded online anger: An independent data analysis of major political parties in Poland that was conducted for The Post showed that after 2018, negative messages were more likely to receive a high number of shares.

Frances Haugen took thousands of Facebook documents: This is how she did it: The company’s documents were available on its internal social network, which resembles the Facebook used by billions

Carl Nassib confirms he has a boyfriend: The Las Vegas Raiders lineman opened up about his beau on a teammate’s podcast.

Reading archive 2021-10-26

LET THINGS ROT - "When the tree falls is when the glory begins."

Invaders for sale: the ongoing spread of invasive species by the plant trade industry - "...we found that 61% of 1285 plant species identified as invasive in the US remain available through the plant trade, including 50% of state-regulated species and 20% of federal noxious weeds."

Mixed-Species Gardens Increase Monarch Oviposition without Increasing Top-Down Predation - "We found that monarchs laid 22% more eggs on milkweed planted in mixed-species plots than milkweed in monoculture."

Opinion: We Disneyfied the escaped zebras. The truth about exotic animals is a lot sadder. - "The tragic story of the Maryland zebras shows it is time to take a hard look at what animals’ lives are actually like in a society where people are allowed to turn them into collectibles."

Opinion: Democrats’ risky strategies show they never learned their lessons from Obamacare

Opinion: The GOP rebrands itself as the party of tax cheats - "Just as they did with Obamacare 'death panels,' Republicans have megaphoned misinformation. They allege that Democrats would create a Marxist 'surveillance program designed to target low- and middle-income earners' (false) in which the government would 'monitor every single transaction you make' (false) with 'no limits' (definitely false)."

Opinion: Manchin’s work requirement for child benefits would throw grandparent-led families under the bus - "But Manchin has indicated that he’ll vote for extending the program only if, among other things, beneficiaries prove they are working. 

"This might sound reasonable. Especially in West Virginia, where both receipt of government benefits and skepticism about benefits are high. Even Boyles says she suspects many people are 'sitting on their butts.' When pressed, she says she’s not sure how the state could easily distinguish between hardworking-but-unlucky families like hers and the slackers who want 'handouts.'"

Western monarch butterflies have been vanishing. This week, a sanctuary saw thousands return.

In Taiwan war game, few good options for U.S. to deter China

American eel, marbled salamander among ‘critters in crisis’ in D.C. region, experts: say Pollution and development in Montgomery County and the wider D.C. region are making it harder for certain species to survive

Five tactics used to spread vaccine misinformation in the wellness community, and why they work

Fox Weather readies launch, facing questions over how it will cover climate change

Ahead of Jan. 6, Willard hotel in downtown D.C. was a Trump team ‘command center’ for effort to deny Biden the presidency

Otters are taking over Singapore

Scientific reclamation: How the iconic Jefferson Memorial was restored