Reading archive 2021-05-06

Why Scotland’s Road to Independence Vote Is Rocky

Four months into Brexit, the UK and France have resorted to gunboat diplomacy over fish

They voted for Brexit. Now many U.K. fishermen feel betrayed.: Fishermen complain of broken government promises, while exporters say they are choking on red tape.

Caitlyn Jenner, speaking from her plane hangar, says friends are fleeing California because of homeless people - "As some critics pointed out on social media, however, Jenner herself appears to have competed in women’s golf events. In 2016, she competed in a major women’s golf tournament alongside likes of soccer star Abby Wambach.

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"During her interview with Hannity, Jenner also blasted plans to build a high-speed rail in California — she can travel faster by plane, she noted — and said she supported forest management measures because she had managed to keep fire away from her Malibu mansion all on her own."

Opinion: Liz Cheney: The GOP is at a turning point. History is watching us. - "I am a conservative Republican, and the most conservative of conservative values is reverence for the rule of law. Each of us swears an oath before God to uphold our Constitution. The electoral college has spoken. More than 60 state and federal courts, including multiple Trump-appointed judges, have rejected the former president’s arguments, and refused to overturn election results. That is the rule of law; that is our constitutional system for resolving claims of election fraud."

A grandmother heard that a friend’s son was a Capitol rioter. Soon, the FBI heard as well.

National Guard soldier is fourth service member charged in Capitol riot

Despite GOP rhetoric, there have been fewer than two dozen charged cases of voter fraud since the election: One person has faced charges for every 10 million votes cast - "On Election Day last year, a man named Ralph Thurman allegedly walked into Sugartown Elementary School in Malvern, Pa., to cast his vote. He allegedly asked whether he needed to produce identification and was told he didn’t. He then allegedly asked if he could vote for his son and was told he couldn’t. He left. 

"Forty-five minutes later, Thurman (again, allegedly) returned, wearing sunglasses. He claimed to be his son and asked for a ballot. Somehow, the people at the polling place saw through his scheme. Thurman faces felony fraud charges."

Chris Ruddy and Newsmax went all-in on Trump. Now they might pay a price for it. - "Long before the Trump era, Ruddy was best known as the young New York Post reporter probing the 1993 suicide of Clinton White House aide Vince Foster — and exploring the wilder, false claims that he had been murdered. His work made its mark: Brett M. Kavanaugh, then working for Kenneth Starr's investigation into the Lewinsky affair, circulated Ruddy's articles to lawyers who joined the team."

Chinese greenhouse gas emissions now larger than those of developed countries combined: China now accounts for 27 percent of global emissions, while the U.S. accounts for 11 percent

An Ohio freshman died after drinking a bottle of liquor in a frat hazing. Now 8 men face charges.

Opinion: Elise Stefanik is a perfect leader of today’s GOP. Her own statements show why. - "It’s often said that GOP voters believe the election was stolen from them. But there’s a reason for this: Their elites relentlessly told them so. They had a 'firehose of falsehoods blasted into their brains for months on end,' as Sean Illing memorably notes.

"Worse, those elites have cited those same public beliefs to justify taking action to invalidate legitimate results. And since then, they’ve kept telling their voters that they’re right to suspect something was amiss about the outcome, to justify voter suppression across the country."

Judge blasts Barr, Justice Dept. for ‘disingenuous’ handling of secret Trump obstruction memo

Why young people are using preventive Botox, and what they need to know

A narrow path for Biden’s ambitious land conservation plan: New “America the Beautiful” report offers few specifics on how to protect 30 percent of U.S. lands and waters by 2030

What’s with these invasive “crazy” worms and why can’t we get rid of them?: They reproduce without mating and are rapidly chewing through soil across the US. But there’s still a lot we don’t know about “jumping” worms.