Reading archive 2022-12-28

How wildlife experts battled the Chesapeake Bay’s ‘menace in the marsh’: A two-decade effort succeeded in ridding the Delmarva Peninsula of the nutria, a pesky rodent that ruins marshlands. But experts worry that it could return.

The scale of George Santos’s deceit — and the remaining questions

The benefits of ‘Dry January’ last longer than a month, studies show: People who abstained from alcohol for a month started drinking less the rest of the year and showed striking improvements in their health.

Putin declares ‘war’ – aloud – forsaking his special euphemistic operation

Here’s who helped Elon Musk buy Twitter: Who pulls the financial strings at Twitter? These are Musk’s backers

Inside the monumental, stop-start effort to arm Ukraine: The U.S. supply of weapons has never been enough for Kyiv. But for Washington and the Pentagon, there are broader concerns. - "An upcoming CSIS report on American readiness, Jones said, concludes that 'the U.S. defense industrial base is in pretty poor shape right now. If you identify China as the ‘pacing’ threat, and an ‘acute’ threat from Russia, we don’t make it past four or five days in a war game before we run out of precision missiles.'"

Opinion  The D.C. region needs more housing. The time to act is now.

For John Eastman and Clarence Thomas, an intellectual kinship stretching back decades: The Supreme Court justice and the lawyer referred by the House Jan. 6 panel for criminal investigation became acquainted years before Eastman served as Thomas’s clerk

Reading archive 2022-12-27

How to Weatherize Your Home

ENERGY STAR Rebate Finder

Rep.-elect George Santos acknowledges ‘résumé embellishment’ but answers little on finances: The Long Island Republican was pressed to address questions about whether he fabricated his biography and why he reported skyrocketing wealth

Opinion  For Cassidy Hutchinson, ‘I don’t remember’ wasn’t good enough

Opinion  The grand strategy behind Japan’s defense buildup - "Japan’s steps toward rearmament, for Green, show that the post-World War II period of Pax Americana is 'completely different from anything ever seen in history.' Unlike the British Empire or the Roman Empire, it has been 'based on building up former adversaries as power centers that had their own agency.' Now, 'Japan is choosing, not being forced by America, but is choosing to reinforce the international order that America helped to create after the war.' 

"But at the same time, he said, the fact that Japan is making this 'rather desperate' decision should be cause for American humility. Washington is losing the capacity, on its own, to back up the security commitments it has made around the world. That is the paradox of Japan’s strategic transformation: Its defense of the American system is itself a sign of that system’s heightened vulnerability."

Southwest draws regulatory scrutiny as thousands more flights canceled: The carrier’s disruptions upended holiday travel plans for tens of thousands of air travelers

‘Moorish American national’ charged with trying to take mansion [ed. note: from 2013]

Moorish Americans take over a rural gun range, sparking a strange showdown: Members of the group, part of the extremist “sovereign citizen” movement, believe they are immune from dealings with U.S. legal systems

With forests in peril, she’s on a mission to save ‘mother trees’

Taiwan extends mandatory military service to combat Chinese threat

Growing vaccine hesitancy fuels measles, chickenpox resurgence in U.S.: Anti-vaccine sentiment has increased since the pandemic, driven by politicization around the coronavirus vaccine

Police dismissed Black leaders’ claims of a serial killer. Then a woman escaped.

Kentucky hits grim milestone: 6 pediatric flu deaths in 2022 and no end to season in sight

As Russia bombs Ukraine’s infrastructure, its own services crumble

Reading archive 2022-12-21

This bird is extinct, the government says. Not everyone is so sure.: A bevy of amateur birders and professional ornithologists is racing to prove the ivory-billed woodpecker still exists, before federal officials remove it from the endangered species list

Reading archive 2022-12-20

Residents return home to long-awaited Northwest One redevelopment

Duke Ellington teens resist DCPS, fear losing school ‘to bureaucracy’

D.C. Council approves housing authority overhaul in final meeting of 2022

Reading archive 2022-12-18

Opinion  The L.A. journalist making Americans smarter about politics

Opinion  Holiday gloom at The Washington Post

Facing blackouts and Iranian-made drones, Ukrainian Jews urge Israel to help - "Israeli officials have complained that they do not receive enough credit for taking in roughly 50,000 refugees from Ukraine and Russia, and providing more than $30 million in humanitarian assistance, a figure they have calculated by combining the costs of generators, medical equipment, and a field hospital, as well as other 'in-kind assistance.' 

"That support, however, is paltry even compared to some other countries. Estonia, for example, which has a bit more than 1/10th of Israel’s population, has sent $300 million in military aid to Ukraine.

...

"'No government in Israel is going to jeopardize this interest for anybody else, including the Ukrainians,' Brodsky said in an interview. Unlike the United States and Europe, Brodsky pointed out, Israel is not part of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. 'Our situation is much more fragile.'" [ed. note: then why should we jeopardize anything for them? Israel's position is not "fragile," they have nukes, are cowards]

Report: Israel Passes U.S. Military Technology to China [ed. note: from 2013]

Musk blamed a Twitter account for an alleged stalker. Police see no link.: Twitter owner Elon Musk threatened legal action, changed the platform’s rules and suspended journalists’ accounts after a confrontation involving his security team at a gas station. But the incident’s timing and location cast doubt on a link to the @ElonJet account. - "A confrontation between a member of Elon Musk’s security team and an alleged stalker that Musk blamed on a Twitter account that tracked his jet took place at a gas station 26 miles from Los Angeles International Airport and 23 hours after the @ElonJet account had last located the jet’s whereabouts."

Reading archive 2022-12-17

Disaster scenarios raise the stakes for Colorado River negotiations: At Colorado River conference in Las Vegas, water managers debate how to make historic cuts

Musk unsuspends some reporters on Twitter. But their companies never left.: Despite outrage over a move viewed as hostile to free speech -- even by Musk’s conservative allies -- media companies continued to tweet, in keeping with their conflicted relationship with Twitter.

Scientists say they know why the Southern Hemisphere is so stormy

Attacker yells ‘Kanye 2024’ during antisemitic assault, police say

Iconic L.A. mountain lion euthanized after ‘extraordinary life’ - "P-22 had “significant trauma” to his head and internal organs after apparently being hit by a car last week, officials said. An examination by a team of veterinarians from the San Diego Zoo Safari Park also revealed several other chronic health problems." [ed. note: CARS ARE SATAN]

Reading archive 2022-12-16

The collapse of insects The most diverse group of organisms on the planet are in trouble, with recent research suggesting insect populations are declining at an unprecedented rate. - "'Insects are the food that make all the birds and make all the fish,' said Wagner, who works at the University of Connecticut. 'They’re the fabric tethering together every freshwater and terrestrial ecosystem across the planet.'

...

"There are about the same number of ladybug species as mammal species."

What to Do After a Bicycle Crash in Washington DC

Scientists genetically modify a tobacco plant to produce COCAINE in its leaves

Something funny is going on here. Mum’s the Word.

Trump's Trading Card Grift is Worse than You Think: Shell companies, rubbing elbows with international criminals, and worse in his scam of scams

The World’s Largest Tree Is Ready for Its Close-Up: Friends of Pando, a nonprofit, is in the process of creating the largest image ever recorded of this single aspen clone in Utah

Wary of China, Japan unveils sweeping new national security strategy

‘Wiped out’: War in Ukraine has decimated a once feared Russian brigade: The bloody fate of the 200th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade is emblematic of Vladimir Putin’s derailed invasion plans

Tesla knew its Model S battery had a design flaw that could lead to leaks and, ultimately, fires starting in 2012. It sold the car anyway.

Reading archive 2022-12-15

Want to save the planet? Saving whales could help, scientists say. - "A 2019 report published by the International Monetary Fund estimated that a great whale sequesters 33 tons of carbon dioxide each year on average, while a tree absorbs only up to 48 pounds a year — a figure the report’s authors used to suggest that conservationists could be better off saving whales than planting trees."

Opinion  Pakistan confronts the collapse of its friendship with the Taliban

Opinion  India may be talking to the Taliban. Here’s why we should welcome it. [ed. note: from 2021]

DeSantis is helping shape a right-wing conversation Trump can’t join

U.S. widens ban on military and surveillance tech sales to China: The Commerce Department added 36 entities to a U.S. export blacklist, including one of China’s largest chipmakers

Elon Musk’s role at Tesla questioned as Twitter occupies his attention: Some Tesla investors are concerned that Musk is focusing too much on the social media company and becoming more polarizing

Long covid can be deadly, CDC study finds

What you need to know about the latest on long covid

Five down in Apt. 307: Mass fentanyl deaths test a Colorado prosecutor

Reading archive 2022-12-14

A girl asked to keep a unicorn in her yard. Animal control said yes.

Family of man shot by FBI agent at Metro Center demands prosecution

Trial begins for two D.C. police officers charged in fatal moped chase - "After the officers turned off their body cameras and conferred with each other, Sutton gave the driver of the SUV clearance to leave, Baset said. He said they did not notify the department’s major crash unit, as was required. After Hylton-Brown was taken to a hospital, Baset said, the officers did not interview any witnesses to the collision or secure the crash site for evidence collection."

QAnon, adrift after Trump’s defeat, finds new life in Elon Musk’s Twitter: Among some QAnon devotees, Musk has become a figure of prophecy on par with Donald Trump

Tom Brady pushed crypto to his fans. This lawyer wants him to pay up.: ‘Why shouldn’t they be held responsible?’ says Florida attorney Adam Moskowitz

A newspaper vanished from the internet. Did someone pay to kill it?: The Hook, a beloved Charlottesville weekly, closed a decade ago but its archives lived on — until its 22,000 stories were suddenly taken offline in June. Former staffers have theories about its mystery buyer.

The surprising reasons parts of Earth are warming more slowly

Antiabortion movement seeks to jail people for 'trafficking’ illegal pills: Six months after their Supreme Court victory, conservatives complain that strict new laws are not being sufficiently enforced

Opinion  Smooth sailing for Metro, for now, as storm clouds gather

Opinion  The great American bailout goes on ... and on - "To repeat: There was a case for protecting most of the Teamsters’ pensions, with modest taxpayer support. But there was no case for using public money to protect every single dollar of them, when the vast majority of taxpayers enjoy no such perks. 

"This obviously happened because of the influence a special interest — organized labor — currently enjoys in Washington. Come to think of it, the 2021 law didn’t make employers chip in to solve the problem they helped create, so it’s a quiet corporate subsidy, too."

To live and die in Tijuana

Reading archive 2022-12-13

Democratic senators sidestep Arizona race after Sinema leaves party: If she runs for a second term as an independent, the national party would face pressure to decide whether to back her over a Democrat, prompting a dilemma for her colleagues

Fusion breakthrough sparks hope of unlimited clean power: Biden administration announces major advancement in quest to mimic nuclear reactions on the sun.

Why is fentanyl so dangerous?: The powerful opioid is the leading cause of overdose deaths in America.

They call him the Eagle: How the U.S. lost a key ally in Mexico as fentanyl took off - "Cellphone videos of the attack pinged around social media, along with questions about why the military was using so much force. The navy said it was necessary: Patrón Sánchez’s bodyguards had been using the third floor as a sniper’s nest, to pick off the special forces troops in the street. That explanation didn’t satisfy Mexico’s future president. 

"'Why did they annihilate them [the bodyguards]? Why, if they investigate, and supposedly have foreign intelligence assistance, do they massacre them?' López Obrador asked in a speech in Nayarit the next day. He demanded to know whether the operation was carried out to appease Trump.

...

"Some U.S. diplomats thought López Obrador had an instinctive mistrust of American technology. He rejected a U.S. offer to provide six giant X-ray scanners to look for drugs in trucks crossing the U.S. border. Also nixed were handheld detectors for port authorities to identify narcotics or chemicals used in the production of synthetic drugs. Millions of dollars in anti-drug aid for Mexico was returned to the U.S. Treasury. 

"Inside the daunting hunt for the ingredients of fentanyl and meth For the new Mexican president, sovereignty was the bigger concern. His team was astonished to discover how much the U.S. government quietly pulled levers in the country. For example, U.S. officials were training police, prosecutors and prison officials in Mexican states — many led by López Obrador’s opponents.

...

"Less than a year into López Obrador’s term, his strategy suddenly seemed to take a tougher turn. On Oct. 17, 2019, soldiers and police surrounded a posh townhouse in the Sinaloan capital, Culiacán, and detained Ovidio Guzmán, one of El Chapo’s sons. He was one of the top traffickers of fentanyl and meth to the United States, according to Mexican officials. The U.S. government was requesting his extradition.

"It was the kind of operation that Águila would have led before 2019. But this time, the Mexican army was in charge. Its soldiers had no search warrant. As they waited for the paperwork, hundreds of cartel gunmen streamed into the city, some wielding .50-caliber rifles that fired armor-piercing bullets the size of carrots.

"Gunmen blocked roads to the airport, preventing the army from flying in reinforcements. The operations base built by Águila had been dismantled. Fearing an all-out battle that could leave hundreds dead, López Obrador told army commanders to let Guzmán go. He remains a fugitive." [ed. note: Andrés Manuel López Obrador is a punk bitch]

A DEA agent tracked the source of fentanyl in Mormon country — a Mexican cartel

Inside the daunting hunt for the ingredients of fentanyl and meth

Reading archive 2022-12-12

Free buses are a money saver. Riders say they’re still too slow.: As the District prepares to provide fare-free bus travel, questions remain about whether the approach is the best use of scarce transit funds

Kari Lake was unflinchingly loyal to Trump. Then her campaign unraveled.: Interviews, internal documents and audio show how the former TV news anchor squandered a chance to become Arizona’s governor — a defeat that carries warnings for the GOP in 2024

Covid spreads and medical staff sicken after China relaxes restrictions

Ukrainian politician who idolizes Reagan tries to win over today’s Republicans

Why doesn’t Argentina have more Black players in the World Cup?: Argentina is far more diverse than many people realize — but the myth that it is a White nation has persisted

How I Left the Closet, Met My Husband — and Found My Life: One man’s journey to marrying his partner

Overview: From Mexican labs to U.S. streets, a lethal pipeline - "U.S. health officials do not have reliable estimates of the number of fentanyl users or recent deaths in the country. Key monitoring programs that could have alerted authorities to the increased flow of fentanyl were defunded by the federal government just as the drug was hitting U.S. streets.

"President Donald Trump told Americans that a wall along the border with Mexico would stop the torrent of drugs. But nearly all the fentanyl entering the United States passes through official border crossings — not through the deserts and mountains. 

"Successive administrations failed to deploy technology to detect the drugs.

Cause of death: Washington faltered as fentanyl gripped America - "The Department of Homeland Security, whose agencies are responsible for detecting illegal drugs at the nation’s borders, failed to ramp up scanning and inspection technology at official crossings, instead channeling $11 billion toward the construction of a border wall that does little to stop fentanyl traffickers.

...

"The roots of the epidemic reach back to the Bush administration, which did little as countless Americans became addicted to oxycodone and other prescription opioids while U.S. drug manufacturers, distributors and chain pharmacies made billions in profits. 

"During the Obama administration, amid a wider questioning of the U.S. criminal justice system, the government defunded and dismantled key drug-monitoring programs in the years before fentanyl hit. President Barack Obama demoted the White House drug czar position, removing the role from the Cabinet. And when heroin use rose after the government crackdown on prescription opioids, authorities treated fentanyl as an additive, rather than a distinct threat requiring its own specific strategy.

"President Donald Trump took office just as the fentanyl epidemic was about to explode. He promised to build a wall along the U.S. southern border that he said would stop drugs. But Mexican traffickers were sneaking fentanyl right through the front door, hidden in passenger vehicles and commercial trucks passing through official ports of entry in California and Arizona. Today, the partisan border debate in Washington remains fixated on a physical structure that is virtually useless for stopping the deadliest drug U.S. agents have ever faced.

"Since President Biden took office, his administration has amplified a public messaging campaign to warn about fentanyl’s mortal threat — “One Pill Can Kill.” He has stepped up efforts to improve scanning technology at border crossings and repair a broken counternarcotics partnership with Mexico. But with Republicans blaming Biden’s border policies for record numbers of immigration arrests, the president and many of his top officials have said little about the skyrocketing amount of fentanyl entering the country.

...

"For six years, the DEA went without a Senate-confirmed administrator. Michele Leonhart, a 35-year veteran, announced her retirement in 2015 following revelations that DEA agents were attending sex parties with prostitutes hired by Colombian drug cartels."

Reading archive 2022-12-11

Close encounters of the racist kind: The modern far right is crisscrossed with pseudo-scientific research into lost Aryan super-civilizations, biblical giants, ancient astronauts and the occasional inter-dimensional alien.

Archaeologists reveal the white supremacist nonsense behind Netflix's "Ancient Apocalypse"

Book Review: Empires of Atlantis

Stone Masonry and Engineering at Machu Picchu: No Aliens Needed

Twitter admits bias in algorithm for rightwing politicians and news outlets: Home feed promotes rightwing tweets over those from the left, internal research finds [ed. note: from 2021]

Hello! You’ve Been Referred Here Because You’re Wrong About Twitter And Hunter Biden’s Laptop

Reading archive 2022-12-06

The Ancient Absurdities of Ancient Apocalypse: A Netflix show for “free thinkers” promotes a whole lot of bunk. It’s hugely popular.

Graham Hancock’s Ancient Apocalypse – A Review of Episode Two

Higher fares, more trains: 5 ways Metro would change under budget plan

Colorado Springs suspect in 305 counts — including murder, hate crimes

The Supreme Court thrives on hypotheticals. Alito’s latest sparked a backlash.: In a case about LGBTQ and religious protections, the justice found himself musing about children in KKK outfits and Black mall Santas

Ukraine live briefing: Russia hit by a third drone strike, signaling strengthened Ukrainian ability

Restaurant refuses service to Christian group, citing staff ‘dignity’

Reading archive 2022-12-05

Metro’s focus on fare evasion vexes: District’s youngest riders Meanwhile, only about a quarter of public and charter school students are participating in a citywide program that allows them to ride for free

Opinion  How Putin’s war in Ukraine has moved Germany into a new era

Supreme Court seems to side with web designer opposed to same-sex marriage: Colorado’s Lorie Smith says being forced to create websites for gay couples would violate her right to free speech

Trump’s call to set aside the Constitution raises a question: Why now?

Gunshots at substations cut electricity to 45,000; police seek motive: Two facilities in central North Carolina were damaged

A Deep-Rooted Prairie Myth

Reading archive 2022-12-04

Ethiopian guards massacred scores of Tigrayan prisoners, witnesses say: The deadliest killings occurred at the Mirab Abaya prison camp, where current and retired Tigrayan soldiers were detained

Opinion  Don’t let China stage another Tiananmen massacre

Elon Musk’s ‘Twitter Files’ ignite divisions, but haven’t changed minds: The company’s new chief executive detailed Twitter’s decision-making around a controversial story - "The Twitter thread, based on internal communications posted by Substack writer Matt Taibbi, showed the company independently decided to limit the spread of the article, without Democratic politicians, the Biden campaign or FBI exerting control over the social media network. In fact, the only input from a sitting politician that Taibbi noted was from Silicon Valley Rep. Ro Khanna (D), who told Twitter executives they should distribute the story, regardless of the potential consequences for his party."

GOP lawmakers largely silent after Trump suggests ‘termination’ of Constitution

The thing to understand about the Hunter Biden laptop story was that it was SUPPOSED to be the Trump campaign’s “October Surprise.” [ed. note: Twitter thread]

Reddit users turn Kanye West’s page into a Holocaust-awareness forum - "Pamela Nadell, director of American University’s Jewish Studies program, said she believes the United States is approaching a second 'high tide of American antisemitism,' referencing the period between World War I and World War II that historians have generally termed the peak of antisemitism in the country." [ed. note: loved her!]

New LGBTQ holiday movies bring joy — and ‘disingenuous’ stereotypes: Queer viewers celebrate representation but call for authentic portrayals

If you test positive on a rapid COVID test, don’t stop isolating just yet, virologists say

In an ancient reindeer forest, one woman has found a way to slow climate change

Reading archive 2022-12-03

Opinion  MSNBC’s cancellation of Tiffany Cross sends a chilling signal

Opinion  The GOP is stuck in a doom loop begun 30 years ago

Want to save the whales? Reconsider the lobster, some say.: Too many endangered whales are drowning in fishing rope in the North Atlantic. But Maine lobstermen say there’s little evidence their gear is to blame.

Deeply Underwhelmed’: Right-Wingers on Musk’s Overhyped ‘Twitter Files’: “Elon dropped this total nothingburger Hunter Biden story,” the far-right Twitter rival Gab wrote.

Reading archive 2022-12-02

Christine McVie Made Fleetwood Mac Fun: Remembering the songwriter famous for “Don’t Stop,” “Everywhere,” and “Little Lies,” who died Wednesday at 79

A state dinner throws everyone off, just a little. And that’s glorious.

Edward Snowden swears allegiance to Russia and receives passport, lawyer says

TSA now wants to scan your face at security. Here are your rights.: 16 major domestic airports are testing facial-recognition tech to verify IDs — and it could go nationwide in 2023

Should you not have kids because of climate change? It’s complicated.: Some researchers have claimed the best thing to do for the environment is to have fewer children. The truth is more complicated.

Reading archive 2022-12-01

KS Supreme Court Justice Stegall leaves KU, cites uproar over conservative campus speaker

Christine McVie, Fleetwood Mac singer and songwriter, dies at 79: Her credits include some of the band’s biggest hits, among them “Don’t Stop,” about her crumbling marriage to bandmate John McVie

Prince William’s godmother resigns royal role over treatment of Black palace guest

Where did all the key changes go?

East Potomac Park Is Getting Bike Lanes In December

Officials fear ‘complete doomsday scenario’ for drought-stricken Colorado River

Jerry Jones helped transform the NFL, except when it comes to race: Decades after standing on the frontlines of one of Little Rock’s darkest segregation clashes, the Dallas Cowboys owner has led the league toward new revenue models but has yet to hire a Black head coach

Reading archive 2022-11-30

Poison pill: How fentanyl killed a 17-year-old: DEA chief says Snapchat and other social media firms should do more to protect their users - "'When people hear the words fentanyl and overdose, what they understand is the old war on drugs, and people suffering from addiction,' said his father. 'And not to take away from those who struggle with substance abuse, but the new demographic is people who unwittingly consume fentanyl thinking they are taking a harmless product, and they don’t really understand they are taking a huge risk.'" [ed. note: translated as "Our son didn't deserve to die like those addicts do, he was innocent."

Why this mammal eats its own brain — and why it could matter for you: Unlocking the shrew’s secret to shrinking its own cognitive tissue in winter – only to regrow it in spring – may help doctors treat neurodegenerative diseases in humans

Pentagon warns of China’s plans for dominance in Taiwan and beyond: As part of its buildup, China’s military conducted more ballistic missile tests last year than the rest of the world combined, U.S. says

See what led protesters to a breaking point with China’s ‘zero covid’ policy

How the CIA’s Fake Vaccination Campaign Endangers Us All: The U.S. was wrong to use health workers to target Osama bin Laden [ed. note: from 2013]

Reading archive 2022-11-29

How Both Sides of the Pit Bull Debate Get It Wrong

D.C. lawmakers pitch a plan for ‘Green New Deal for Housing’ - "Trupti Patel, an advisory neighborhood commissioner in Ward 2, argued in her testimony that the city should move forward on paying for housing regardless. 'This is a basic human right we’re talking about, and we shouldn’t be talking about the challenges of executing it,' she said." [ed note: lol]

As rail strike deadline nears, Biden calls on Congress to intervene: Railroad workers would need to ratify union contracts before a Dec. 9 strike deadline to avert a rail shutdown, renewing pressure on Congress to intervene

Why you should almost always wash your clothes on cold: And while you’re at it, don’t wash them so much.

An oral history of USA-Iran at the 1998 World Cup: Political tension, teammate betrayal and humiliation

Less attractive, less picky: How mating is changing in a hotter world: Leave it to climate change to teach us that looks aren’t everything

Reading archive 2022-11-28

Brexit has made Britain the sick man of Europe again

A Berlin subway stop is called ‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin.’ Some Black Germans want change.

Opinion  The West is finally waking up to the real problem in Iran

China’s rare protests spark demonstrations of solidarity around globe

Rare protests against China’s ‘zero covid’ policy erupt across country

Pressure builds to step up weapons tracking in Ukraine: Legislation would require greater scrutiny of the $20 billion in military aid President Biden has sent Ukraine, and it has bipartisan support - "Thus far, the Biden administration has resisted pressure to send inspectors or other military personnel too deeply into Ukraine, for fear of fomenting a wider conflict. According to U.S. officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss operational matters, American specialists currently conduct weapons inspections unarmed — a condition that would likely be unsustainable if they were sent closer to the front lines."

Twitter grapples with Chinese spam obscuring news of protests: For hours, links to adult content overwhelmed other posts from cities where dramatic rallies escalated - "SAN FRANCISCO — Twitter’s radically reduced anti-propaganda team grappled on Sunday with a flood of nuisance content in China that researchers said was aimed at reducing the flow of news about stunning widespread protests against coronavirus restrictions. 

"Numerous Chinese-language accounts, some dormant for months or years, came to life early Sunday and started spamming the service with links to escort services and other adult offerings alongside city names."

Russia Actively Supplies Something From China With the An-124 Cargo Planes: Flights Conducted Almost Every Day

China Is Starting to Really Regret Its Friendship With Russia: Russia was not the first Chinese partner to believe it would win a very fast war and found itself in a hole, but China wasn’t usually pulled into it with them. - "China’s bet was that the world’s liberal democracies were on the wane, incapable of collective mobilization in the face of a common challenge. Instead, Beijing was watching the country that was supposed to be its great strategic asset helping to bring about precisely the coalitions and instruments of economic warfare it had sought to prevent."

On the edge of retreat: An island community moved to the mainland. Now the fast-rising sea is following — a warning for the rest of the East Coast.

Murder, fear and racist fliers in Fargo

Reading archive 2022-11-26

Trump criticized for dining with far-right activist Nick Fuentes and rapper Ye

Thread time. Here's the thing about @tesla . It's not a car company. Tesla is a company that has to make cars in order to sell its real product: Emissions Credits. [ed. note: Twitter thread]

Reading archive 2022-11-25

With record covid cases, China scrambles to plug an immunity gap

Opinion  I’m losing the battle against the brush. I’m not alone.

Are real or artificial Christmas trees better for the environment?: Some experts say a real tree is the more sustainable choice, but you can reduce an artificial tree’s impact if you reuse it enough

Putin tells mothers of soldiers fighting in Ukraine he ‘shares’ their pain

Reading archive 2022-11-23

Dissecting GOP claims about Hunter Biden deals allegedly involving his father

How China, the world’s top polluter, avoids paying for climate damage: United Nations still considers China, now the world’s second-largest economy and biggest annual polluter, a developing country

Railroads to settle years-long dispute over Gulf Coast passenger service: Amtrak and freight companies say they have reached an agreement to bring back service to the region 17 years after Katrina

Cutting-edge tech made this tiny country a major exporter of food: The Netherlands has used advances in vertical farming, seed technology and robotics to become a global model

Opinion  D.C.’s downtown is comatose. Here’s how to revive it.

Reading archive 2022-11-22

Rainbow-wearing soccer fans refused entry, confronted at Qatar World Cup

Florida prosecutors drop case against Tampa man accused by Gov. DeSantis of voter fraud

Reading archive 2022-11-21

The End of Trump?: Murdoch may have pulled the plug on him for 2024, but it’s not clear yet if the rest of the G.O.P. will follow.

Jaylen Brown: I don't endorse Barclays Center protesters - "Members of Israel United in Christ, which has been designated a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, handed out flyers before Sunday's game that read: 'The Truth About Anti-Semitism' and 'The Truth about Slavery.'"

D.C. police arrest teen in shooting of 14-year-old boy: Antoine Junior Manning died after a second shooting three weeks later on Halloween night

Army veteran recounts subduing gunman at Colorado LGBTQ club

Reading archive 2022-11-20

Justice Alito denies disclosing 2014 Hobby Lobby opinion in advance Supreme Court justice has said leak of Dobbs abortion decision made conservative majority ‘targets for assasination’

Leaked call shows clash between Kari Lake campaign and Maricopa County: Video from inside the GOP war room in Arizona reveals a breakdown in relations between campaign attorneys and a top lawyer for the county

Stealthy Kherson resistance fighters undermined Russian occupying forces

My mom was finally ready to accept my gay wedding. Then she got covid.: As a Post reporter who covers the pandemic, I feared a potential superspreader event. As a son, I just wanted her there.

Reading archive 2022-11-17

Why it seems like your doctor doesn’t care about you: There’s a clear disconnect between what most patients value in health care and what hospital systems and insurance companies want

Reading archive 2022-11-16

Opinion  At Trump’s angry announcement, the magic is gone

Senate advances bill to protect same-sex marriage in federal law: Democrats have warned that marriage equality and other rights could be at risk after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade

Opinion  The Senate’s victory on same-sex marriage should terrify the GOP

Reading archive 2022-11-15

Diet changes can improve sleep apnea, even without weight loss: Healthy habits during the day can lead to remarkable improvements in the quality of your nightly sleep

What Kyrie Irving can teach us about noxious drivel and how to counter it

Ohio woman tells dispatcher gunman killed her husband because ‘he thought he was a Democrat,’ reports say

Community Input Is Bad, Actually: Angry neighborhood associations have the power to halt the construction of vital infrastructure. It doesn’t have to be this way.

Reading archive 2022-11-14

In Nevada, one more victory for the ‘Reid machine’ over ‘Team Mitch’

Chesapeake Bay could become national recreation area: Members of Maryland’s congressional delegation back the federal designation, which would knit together and highlight key places of interest around the bay

Grizzlies once thrived in these wilds. The U.S. may bring them back.

Opinion  The global pressure on Iran is mounting

Opinion  The Catholic Church’s sex abuse scandal continues - "That problem was crystallized in the admission by Cardinal Jean-Pierre Ricard, who was the archbishop of Bordeaux for 18 years before he retired in 2019, that he had behaved “in a reprehensible way” with a 14-year-old girl 35 years ago when he was a parish priest. The news was made more astonishing by the fact that Cardinal Ricard served as president of the Bishops’ Conference of France from 2001 to 2007, even as revelations of clerical sexual abuse rocked the church — first in Boston, then throughout dioceses in the United States and worldwide. Yet the prelate continued exercising his authority as one of the French church’s most prominent figures. He is now being investigated by French prosecutors in Marseille for 'aggravated sexual assault.'"

Inside Kari Lake’s war room, where Republicans prepare for likely loss: The subdued mood marks a reversal from just days earlier, when the GOP gubernatorial nominee in Arizona was readying a transition team - "Lake and her allies have argued that the problems only affected Republican areas. But an analysis by The Post found that the proportion of registered Republicans in affected precincts, about 37 percent, was virtually the same as the share of registered Republicans across the county, which stands at 35 percent."

The tech CEO spending millions to stop Elon Musk: Dan O’Dowd says Tesla’s ‘Full Self Driving’ software shouldn’t be on the road. He’ll keep running over test dummies until someone listens.

Republican rivals start considering a post-Trump future: The GOP’s disappointing midterm results spur some donors and party leaders to consider other 2024 candidates

A profound change is coming to American school buses: Within a decade, advocates say electric school buses will supplant the old polluting ones

China wants to mend ties with the U.S. But it won’t make the first move. - "Sixteen months ago, Foreign Minister Wang Yi presented lists of complaints and demands to U.S. diplomats in Tianjin. China made clear the United States would need to make the first move, and it had three bottom-line requirements: no attempts to undermine China’s development, no challenges to its political system, and no 'harm' to its sovereignty claims regarding Taiwan, Hong Kong and the South China Sea." [ed. note: hard pass]

Opinion  Kanye West’s antisemitism is bad for business. Now how about Henry Ford?

Reading archive 2022-11-12

Congressional Republicans panic as they watch their lead dwindle: Private consternation reached a public boiling point Friday as lawmakers in both chambers confronted the fallout from Tuesday’s elections

Biden works to convince the world U.S. is back as Asia tour starts

A red wave of criticism crashes into Donald Trump after midterm losses: The former president has faced and survived Republican blowback before. Is this time different?

Former British embassy guard pleads guilty to spying for Russia in Berlin - "Prosecutors argued Smith was fueled by a hatred of Britain and angry that the embassy had flown an LGBT+ flag, while his lawyer said the defendant contested the prosecution’s depiction of his motivation, according to the BBC."

One man’s bold protest against China’s leaders inspires global copycats

Reading archivfe 2022-11-11

Why Arizona’s ballot count takes longer than Florida’s

13-year-old shot while raking leaves is on life support, feared brain dead: Eighth-grader Jayz Agnew was outside his home when he was struck by gunfire

Reading archive 2022-11-10

America Has an Anti-MAGA Majority: The election results show that although a sizable minority of Americans will never defect from Trump, an even larger group seems equally determined to stop Trumpism. - "Not for the first time, Biden has both the last laugh and a better intuition about voters than his critics assume. The midterm-election results, which appear to have delivered Republicans only modest gains, show that although a sizable minority of Americans will never defect from Trump, an even larger group seems equally determined to stop Trumpism. The existence of this anti-MAGA coalition is essential to understanding not only this election, but also the 2024 race."

Reading archive 2022-11-09

Opinion  In Arizona, a MAGA victory party takes a sour turn - "House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is 'losing the gavel but finding the hammer,' Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) told the crowd, joking about the attack on Pelosi’s husband that left him with a fractured skull — just as GOP gubernatorial nominee Kari Lake did a week earlier. The crowd laughed.

...

"After a campaign against supposed Democratic “elites,” Republican elites celebrated in style. A procession of luxury cars — BMW, Lexus, Mercedes, Tesla, even a Rolls-Royce — dotted the valet line in the conference resort’s manicured driveway, lined with palm trees. VIPs who paid $500 a head were whisked off to a private reception, and higher rollers who shelled out $1,000 for the “private experience package” to another."

Opinion  The expected red wave looks more like a puddle

Trump absorbs GOP losses, while DeSantis glows with landslide victory: Early returns suggested setbacks for the former president’s endorsed candidates, and several potential 2024 rivals appeared emboldened - "'Well, I think if they win, I should get all the credit,' [Trump] said in an interview posted Tuesday with the network NewsNation. 'If they lose, I should not be blamed at all.'"

This enigmatic billionaire took down a crypto rock star: Led by Changpeng Zhao, Binance will absorb Sam Bankman-Fried’s company, capping a colorful human drama

Eating fiber alters the microbiome. It may boost cancer treatment, too.: The composition of the gut microbiome appears to influence whether a cancer treatment called immunotherapy is successful

Musk to meet with Twitter advertisers after ‘name & shame’ warning: The billionaire owner had threatened a “thermonuclear name & shame” campaign against advertisers that abandon the platform. He still needs their money. - "The day before he closed the deal Musk tweeted a statement committing to keeping the site from becoming a 'free for all hellscape.' But soon after, he himself boosted a conspiracy theory about the attack on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband, shaking advertisers’ faith that he would maintain rules against misinformation and hate speech."

Law on placement of Native American children divides Supreme Court: Justices seemed inclined to reconsider parts of law that prioritizes foster or adoptive parents based on tribal status

Opinion  How D.C. voters altered the city’s political landscape

Reading archive 2022-11-08

an eco-focused fall cleanup, with native plant trust’s uli lorimer

Why experts say you shouldn't bag your leaves this fall

Leave the Leaves: Winter Habitat Protection

Not Your Childhood Water Cycle: The USGS just debuted a complete remaking of the water cycle diagram—with humans as headliners.

Time Travel in Britain’s Lost Rainforests - "Regenerative forester John Williamson earns his living in the ancient woodlands of the UK’s Teign Valley. As he coppices trees and makes charcoal on lands that have been carefully tended by generations of people for thousands of years, he comes to exist within a deeper understanding of time—one guided by the 400-year cycles of England’s last remaining rainforests."

Cities Need More Native Bees—Lots and Lots of Adorable Bees: These pollinators can help urban gardens grow. That will be critical for cooling cities as the planet warms.

If bumblebees can play, does it mean they have feelings? This study suggests yes

Reading archive 2022-11-07

No, We Don't Just Need to Plant More Milkweed

Prairie lawns help Nebraskans alleviate climate change and promote biodiversity

D.C. servers, restaurateurs battle over ‘tipped minimum’ initiative - "Graham opposed Initiative 77, which was repealed by the D.C. Council after voters approved it, and opposes this one. She said 'outside moneyed labor interests' were fueling both measures. The measure’s opponents have raised about $643,000 fighting it while its supporters have raised about $439,000 trying to get it passed, campaign filings show." [ed. note: Graham is ignorant]

The speedy scientific workout you can do almost anywhere: A new study shows you can get the benefits of a high-intensity workout by doing five common exercises, no gym or equipment required

Biden’s ‘consequences’ for Saudi Arabia are reaping quiet results: Riyadh’s decision to cut OPEC oil production was met with fury in Washington. But the White House is taking its time on meting out any public punishment.

Stars and fans remember Aaron Carter, lamenting ‘curse’ of childhood fame

Stop building museums on the National Mall: Women and Latinos deserve better than getting squeezed into the unsuitable locations proposed by the Smithsonian

She put a stranger on her shoulders at a Phillies rally. Now fans want them to marry.: She hoisted him above the sea of revelers until he found his friends. People far and wide are hoping for a fairy tale ending.

These are the men running Elon Musk’s Twitter: The billionaire has installed several members of his inner circle to enact his vision for the social media platform

Republicans sue to disqualify thousands of mail ballots in swing states: The lawsuits coincide with a systemic effort by GOP leaders to persuade voters to cast ballots in person, not absentee

Kyrie Irving lit a flame. The NBA, top to bottom, watched the fire spread.

Breaking with Kanye West’s sports group was a choice. So was joining it.

Elon Musk’s Twitter is a safe space for bros who think they’re funny: Musk may think he’s preserving comedy, but he’s just ensuring the lowest kind has one more place to flourish. Let that sink in.

In Arizona, small tribe watches warily as Supreme Court takes up Native adoption law

In existential midterm races, Christian prophets become GOP surrogates

The Demolition of the Taylor Street Bridge

Reading archive 2022-11-05

Welcome to hell, Elon You break it, you buy it.

Opinion  Netanyahu’s Israeli victory shows how not to stop Trump

Real-life ‘White Lotus’: Workers share rich guests’ wildest demands: Tales of mistresses, human remains and ‘Bravolebrity’ nightmares, from the people who pamper the rich

Gen Z voter turnout will show just how influential influencers really are

The big-stack-of-paper strategy comes to House Judiciary Republicans

Reading archive 2022-11-04

Opinion  The tragedy of John Roberts

Trump loyalist Kash Patel questioned before Mar-a-Lago grand jury: Appearance on Thursday focused on claims that Donald Trump broadly declassified documents before leaving White House

Dwyane Wade defends trans daughter, blasts ex-wife’s objection to name change

D.C. bike lane plan splits residents, businesses as city’s network grows: A proposal for bike lanes has stirred tension in upper-Northwest neighborhoods off the busy Connecticut Avenue NW corridor - "'The city has clearly stated the vision for D.C. to have bike lanes and it’s happening whether people like it or not. But they are not looking holistically at the situation,' she said. 'Have bike lanes, but put them in places that are safe and don’t contribute to the already problematic flow of traffic.'

...

"'We are not against bike lanes,' he said. 'There are a lot of places where they can be put and make sense. But Connecticut Avenue is just too busy a street for bike lanes.'" [ed. note: "I support bike lanes somewhere else."]

Opinion  The FBI headquarters belongs in D.C.

Opinion  The new FBI site is a matter of equity

Reading archive 2022-11-03

Opinion  Elissa Silverman’s unacceptable conduct was not some minor violation

Part of Rock Creek Park’s Beach Drive will stay closed to cars year-round: The National Park Service initially proposed seasonal closures but changed course after public input

Youngkin’s education tip line gripes: ‘Beowulf,’ masks and ‘grooming’ - "One parent complained about a reading assignment that was “sympathetic” to immigrants. Another raised alarm about free online tutoring offered by a local school district, seeing it as 'a potential path for unknown perverts' to prey on students. Some voiced concern that the concept of “gender identity” was included in the family life curriculum."

The Christian home-schooling world that shaped Dan Cox: Cox, the Republican candidate for Maryland governor, comes from a family with deep roots in the home-schooling and ‘parental rights’ movements

Immigration officials confirm alleged Pelosi attacker was in the U.S. illegally

Opinion  Russia is fighting by the book. The problem is, it’s the wrong book.

Tree Pruning Essentials

Reading archive 2022-11-02

Authorities name Knoxville Planned Parenthood arsonist, who also attended Jan. 6 riots

This UFO-like structure could help Europe transform its energy: A geothermal effort to displace coal and gas takes hold in Central Europe

Elon Musk’s Twitter is working on paid-video feature with ‘high’ risk: The tool would let video creators charge users for access. The team working on it flagged big potential pitfalls.

Daniel Snyder considers sale of Washington Commanders

We should eat more plants. Here’s which ones are best for the planet.

How one small-town lawyer faced down the plans of election skeptics

Russians fleeing to Georgia face resentment, graffiti, loyalty tests at bars - "Many Georgians say the recent months have been deflating, as they try to square how Russians could wage war in their country and 14 years later use it as a haven."

Reading archive 2022-11-01

How to water your garden in a drought.

Eagle-eyed Delaware hunter chances upon ‘holy grail’ of tree lovers — full-grown American chestnut

More than half of the world's palm trees in danger

Police arrest teens for armed carjacking in Northeast DC: Police say both a 13-year-old boy and 16-year-old boy were arrested and charged Friday after holding a victim at gunpoint and stealing their car in Northeast, D.C.

2 teens arrested for armed robbery in DC's Shaw neighborhood

Mehmet Oz’s medical research was rejected in 2003, resulting in 2-year ban: At issue were questions about the strength of the data used by Oz to reach an important medical conclusion, according to several of those who recalled the events

Sacheen Littlefeather may have lied about her identity. Does that matter?: After a startling op-ed alleges the recently deceased activist was a fraud, heated discussions emerge about ‘policing’ Native American heritage - "Throughout her life, Littlefeather said she was White Mountain Apache and Yaqui, through her father’s side of the family. But Keeler’s article includes interviews with Littlefeather’s sisters, Rosalind Cruz and Trudy Orlandi, who dispute their late sister’s claims."

By Sharing an Antisemitic Film, Kyrie Irving Has Lost Any Benefit of the Doubt: The Nets’ point guard refused to apologize and take accountability after promoting a film with antisemitic material.

Reading archive 2022-10-31

Elon Musk deleted a tweet about Paul Pelosi. Here’s why that matters.: The comment amplified a baseless report about the attack on Nancy Pelosi’s husband and stirred an outcry

How to survive a crowd crush and why they can become deadly: Staying on your feet, keeping your arms free and helping those around you are all ways to improve your chances of getting to safety

At small-town radio station, the right-wing misinformation effort goes local

Reading archive 2022-10-29

Attack on Nancy Pelosi’s husband follows years of GOP demonizing her: A man with right-wing views who broke into the House speaker’s home yelled “Where is Nancy?” before assaulting Paul Pelosi with a hammer, police say.

D.C.’s great rat migration — and how they survived during the pandemic: Play this video game to try your paw at surviving as Cheddar the D.C. rat

Rat catchers share tips and videos of their rodent showdowns

Opinion  For Metro, governance reform has to come before financial infusions

Opinion  American Jews start to think the unthinkable

Kyrie Irving Boosts Antisemitic Movie Peddling ‘Jewish Slave Ships’: The video is based on a venomously antisemitic book which asserts that "many famous high-ranking Jews" have "admitted" to "worship[ing] Satan or Lucifer."

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Reading archive 2022-10-27

News of ‘Twister’ sequel has weather fanatics swirling with excitement: Filming for a follow-up to the 1996 box office hit that starred Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt will begin in the spring, Deadline reports

Overt U.S. antisemitism returns with Trump, Ye: ‘Something is different’: ‘It’s like we’re coming back from a 50-year vacation,’ one expert said

Nearly half of Americans think U.S. should be ‘Christian nation,’ poll finds: But Pew respondents differed widely in describing what that term might mean

Opinion  James Bennet was right

Cal State banned caste discrimination. Two Hindu professors sued.

Reading archive 2022-10-26

All the times our kids spooked the %^*! out of us

Trial begins for two D.C. police officers charged in fatal moped chase

Kanye West may have finally reached the point of no return: As a dominant cultural figure of the 21st century, West has been through cycle after cycle of controversy and redemption. His repeated antisemitic statements might prove too much to overcome.

These scary stories will chill your blood during spooky season: Whether you’re looking for a classic ghost story or a Lovecraftian tale of cosmic horror, we have a recommendation for you

Woman goes to work, gets swallowed whole by 22-foot python

Opinion  Under-voting in D.C. at-large races devalues voters in wards 7 and 8 [ed. note: majorities of Ward 7 and 8 voters don't vote for at-large council races]

Opinion  Trump lets the truth slip about the MAGA base — and today’s GOP - "In Trump’s own telling, GOP base voters must be told that when they lose, they’ve been robbed — the outcome is illegitimate by definition. Scores of other GOP candidates are running for positions of control over elections — while essentially vowing to treat future elections as subject to nullification — which makes Trump’s point harder to deny."

D.C.’s most famous bald eagle couple rebuilds nest in Washington: Experts say the pair, Mr. President and Lotus, will probably try to breed soon. If eggs are laid, eaglets could hatch in the spring.

Reading archive 2022-10-25

Exploring the architecture of Washington, beyond the National Mall

Here’s exactly how your diet affects the planet, a landmark study finds: From pork to rice to seafood, a new analysis of nearly 99 percent of all food production on land and sea reveals the ecological footprint of what we eat - "For example, beef production in Brazil has a larger environmental impact than is attributed to the U.S. cattle industry, though Brazil produces 10 percent less meat than the United States."

How you can make more socially conscious Halloween candy choices: Chocolate, a fixture of Halloween, can have serious environmental, climate and social impacts.

What ‘The Trump Tapes’ reveal about Bob Woodward: The legendary journalist said audio recordings of his Trump interviews offer deeper understanding of the man. They are also a surprising window into Woodward’s method.

Liberal Democrats withdraw letter to Biden that urged him to rethink Ukraine strategy

Reading archive 2022-10-24

Opinon  What we found when analyzing 1,000 viral TikToks on #Abortion - "We found two things, chiefly: pro-abortion-rights posts get more views than antiabortion videos — and the platform is almost perfectly designed to further divide us."

Opinion  The world continues to ignore the radicalization of India

Opinion  Give my disregards to Broadway’s over-the-top theater ‘trigger warnings’

Florida needs workers to rebuild after Ian. Undocumented migrants are stepping in.: Hundreds have arrived in the Sunshine State despite Gov. Ron DeSantis’s warning that those without papers are not wanted in Florida. - "'We’d like them back,' Nancy Randall, a real estate agent who declined to give her age or political affiliation, said of the immigrants DeSantis had flown to Martha’s Vineyard, after Ian drove four feet of water into her green-shuttered home in Naples, soaking her grandmother’s rocking chair and everything else. 'We need all the helpers we can get.'"

The anxieties of growing old when you’re LGBTQ: Who would you call to bring you chicken soup? For many LGBTQ seniors who are alone, that’s no easy question.

Ask a Doctor: What happens if I drink too much water?: Normal kidneys can release up to a quart of fluid every hour. Drinking more than that can be hazardous to your health.

Right-wing roadshow promotes Christian nationalism before midterms - "The traveling carnival of misinformation merges entertainment, politics and theology and makes the existential argument to those attending: The debate is no longer about Republican vs. Democrat, they say, it’s about good vs. evil. And it’s time to pick a side."

D.C.'s troubled sports-betting app could soon have some competition

Reading archive 2022-10-22

The ‘This American Life’ of ghost stories is captivating Gen Z ‘Otherworld’ podcast has amassed fandom by tapping into a growing online fascination with the paranormal

As Elon Musk expands his reach, Washington worries: Many lawmakers see the billionaire as too powerful and increasingly reckless - "'Elon, The Everywhere' is what one White House official called him. 'He believes he is such a gift to mankind that he doesn’t need any guardrails, that he knows best.'"

Under Xi, China wants absolute security. It’s making the world nervous.

The World Cup is only a month away. Will Qatar be ready?

Mar-a-Lago classified papers held U.S. secrets about Iran and China: Iran’s missile program, U.S. intelligence work aimed at China were among the most sensitive material seized by the FBI, people familiar with the matter say