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.

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

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"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.

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"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