Reading archive 2022-04-29

Who’s afraid of elemental elemental power? Fear of nuclear energy has made it harder to stand up to dictators and slow down global warming. Is it time for a rebrand? - "'Where I’m at now is, if it’s true that the climate crisis is as big of a problem and as serious and urgent of a threat as folks say it is, then we need to be really ruthless and rigorous in thinking about how we can reduce emissions in the most effective and quick way possible,' she said."

Ukrainian attacks bring war home to Russia, fraying civilian nerves

Cracks emerge in Russian elite as tycoons start to bemoan invasion: Oligarchs and financial officials are alarmed over the economic toll it’s taking and feel powerless to influence Putin

Inside the Republican drift away from supporting the NATO alliance: The isolationist posture of some Republicans is in line with the ‘America First’ ethos of Trump, the GOP’s de facto leader who has long railed against NATO - "'We now are really seeing the true impact of deep, deep political polarization, where it is better to harm the other side than do what’s right for the country,' said Heather Conley, president of the German Marshall Fund. “This deep domestic polarization has now crept into foreign and security policy. There has always been strong bipartisan support for NATO, but everything now has become polarized and can be weaponized against the other side, even if it supports U.S. national security interests.'"

Disney’s special tax district pushes back against law that would dissolve it: Reedy Creek is pushing back after a clash with DeSantis over LGBTQ rights - "One possibility is that Reedy Creek will transfer its governing powers — and financial obligations — to the two cities within its 40-square-mile jurisdiction, which are functionally run by Disney. When the special district was created after Walt Disney set his sights on building an entertainment empire in Florida, the company also included two incorporated cities. Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista have fewer than 60 residents between them — and they all work for Disney or retired from the company — but their city boundaries cover most of the theme park’s 25,000 acres and almost all of its attractions, with the exception of the Wide World of Sports."

A reactor in Idaho could change the future of nuclear energy — if it survives Trump’s budget - "That’s because federal research has often catalyzed new energy technology — think fracking. Private companies margins are too thin to conduct massive research programs. Venture capital is scarce because the return on investment is lengthy. Meanwhile, rival firms outside the United States are often state-subsidized or -owned." [ed. note: from 2017]

A Greek family saved them from Nazis. Now, they found how to thank them.: ‘Without them, my family wouldn’t have survived the war,’ said Josephine Velelli Becker, who lives in Maryland

Opinion: Republicans have only themselves to blame for Madison Cawthorn

Reading archive 2022-04-28

Supreme Court weighs case of high school coach who lost his job after praying on the field

Kansas City Proud Boys member pleads guilty in Jan. 6 cooperation deal: Charged with conspiracy, Louis Colon, 45, pleaded to a lesser felony charge and offered evidence against others

How McCarthy sought to contain the damage from leaked Jan. 6 audio: Most Republicans have rallied around their leader after a week of harried efforts that resulted in more statements of praise than criticism from fellow lawmakers — and a clear nod of approval from Trump

How a former NBA player and activist became a far-right media darling

Reading archive 2022-04-27

Police release statement on video of gunfire interrupting youth baseball game in N. Charleston

Far-Right Infiltrators and Agitators in George Floyd Protests: Indicators of White Supremacists

Minneapolis Police Reportedly Identify Viral 'Umbrella Man' As White Supremacist

‘Boogaloo Boi’ charged in fire of Minneapolis police precinct during George Floyd protest: Ivan Harrison Hunter, a Texas rightwing extremist, bragged about helping to set the fire then was seen shooting 13 rounds at the building

Alleged 'Boogaloo' extremist charged in killing of federal officer during George Floyd protest: Steven Carrillo and his alleged accomplice "came to Oakland to kill cops," said John Bennett, special agent in charge of the San Francisco division of the FBI.

A top Democrat ties Pence’s ‘I’m not getting in the car’ to Jan. 6 ‘coup’: As Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) leans in on longstanding questions about the scene, here’s what we know

Mystery fires at sensitive facilities compound Russia’s war challenge - "Oleksiy Arestovych, a military adviser to Zelensky, said he doubted Ukraine was involved in the fires at the defense-related facilities and suggested that Russian officials are setting fires to cover up evidence of corruption. 

"'I think you need to look for reasons inside Russia — for example, hiding the means by which money has been stolen from the Russian defense ministry,' he said."

Russia is using dolphins to protect Black Sea naval base, satellite photos suggest

Trump officials overruled Pentagon to approve pandemic loan, emails show House subcommittee report finds: White House and Cabinet officials pushed for $700 million in aid for Yellow Corp. - "Two years into the pandemic, lawmakers and government watchdogs are just beginning to uncover how trillions of dollars in aid approved by Congress was spent — or misspent — as federal agencies raced unevenly to plug massive holes in the U.S. economy. Last month, for instance, the Justice Department reported it had found nearly $8 billion in allegedly fraudulent claims for pandemic aid.

...

"In his response to the committee, Kasowitz noted that Treasury’s equity stake in the company is now worth close to $70 million, an approximately 50 percent increase in value since the loan began, and that the company had paid more than $25 million in interest on the loan.

"Yellow had claimed that it provided 68 percent of “less than truckload” shipping — a category of freight size — to the Defense Department. The career staffers’ review, however, found the company handled only 34 percent of such shipments — half of what Yellow claimed in its application. Treasury cited the 68 percent figure in its news release announcing the loan.

Russia cuts off gas to Poland, Bulgaria, stoking tensions with E.U.: Zelensky accuses Moscow of ‘energy blackmail’; U.S. says Ukraine has the right to attack Russia in addition to defending itself

Two homicides, one critical shooting in D.C. before 8 a.m.: A man was fatally shot, a woman was fatally stabbed and another man was hit by gunfire during the morning rush hour

Reading archive 2022-04-26

Twitter workers face a reality they’ve long feared: Elon Musk as owner: Employees reacted with shock and dismay on Monday as Musk’s $44 billion takeover bid went through

Opinion: A leading Trump sycophant may soon get the humiliation he deserves

Opinion: Republicans found something they love even more than tax cuts - These counties are expected to inherit Reedy Creek’s debt obligations and will have to cover the cost of the $163 million the company has been paying annually to fund those public services. Orange County’s tax collector has said he expects property taxes would need to rise 20 to 25 percent to foot the bill. 

In other words: DeSantis has decided to raise taxes on regular Floridians in order to duke it out with Mickey Mouse.

Bipartisan Senate group to hash out new proposals to prevent stolen elections: The effort is centered on changing the 1887 Electoral Count Act, which allies of former President Donald Trump sought to exploit to overturn his 2020 defeat.

‘Putin never imagined’ global rally of Ukraine support, defense secretary says

Putin’s alleged mistress is possible U.S. sanctions target

She ended a pregnancy so her child wouldn’t suffer. Now she helps others like her.: Emma Belle and other parents who experienced TFMR, or termination for medical reasons, are creating an online community to ease the grieving process

Anita Bonds, enigma of the D.C. Council, wants to keep experimenting

Reading archive 2022-04-25

Sense and Nonsense About Water

The Ukraine war through the eyes of Ukrainian and Russian New Yorkers: ‘Since the war began, we live in two time zones’

New Climate Maps Show a Transformed United States

Reading archive 2022-04-24

The Belarusian railway workers who helped thwart Russia’s attack on Kyiv: A clandestine network of railway workers, hackers and dissident security forces wreaked havoc on supply lines

Opinion: As the pandemic exploded, a researcher saw the danger. China’s leaders kept silent.

Student poetry contest in China becomes unexpected outlet for dissent: Even as the poems were censored, they still circulated through social media, with themes of lockdown alienation, poverty and even the war in Ukraine.

Plight of Chinese mother of eight chained outside in winter causes public outrage despite official explanations

Saga of the chained mother of eight continues to roil China, inspiring rare social activism

Joe Kahn can be a great New York Times editor: I know him. Here’s why I think he might be the man for this perilous moment.

Doubling down at the Times

Reading archive 2022-04-23

Newt Gingrich says January 6 investigators 'face real risk of jail' if GOP wins Congress

"There Cannot Be a Nuclear War": In an interview with DER SPIEGEL, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz discusses arms deliveries to Ukraine and growing calls for Berlin to supply heavy weapons. He also talks about why he has been hesitant to act in this crisis and addresses critical questions about his party's policies toward Russia in the past.

Reading archive 2022-04-22

‘I’ve Had It With This Guy’: G.O.P. Leaders Privately Blasted Trump After Jan. 6 In the days after the attack, Representative Kevin McCarthy planned to tell Mr. Trump to resign. Senator Mitch McConnell told allies impeachment was warranted. But their fury faded fast.

Trump, McCarthy talk after audio shows lawmaker was ready to push Trump to resign

Greene won’t say if interfering with electoral count makes one an ‘enemy of the Constitution’: The congresswoman appeared in court as part of a lawsuit seeking to block her reelection bid

Mark Meadows was simultaneously registered to vote in three states

E.U. asks people to work remotely, reduce air conditioning to foil Putin

Trump says he threatened not to defend NATO against Russia

Person of interest in shooting that injured 4 found dead, officials say: The shooting near Connecticut Avenue plunged schools into lockdown and sent terrified residents running for safety.

Developers made big plans for Amazon HQ2. Now it’s up for a key vote.

Reading archive 2022-04-21

These whales are on the brink. Now comes climate change — and wind power.: Researchers are racing to understand the warming habitat of the declining North Atlantic right whale before it’s too late

Wedding spirals into chaos after bride allegedly laced food with pot

Reading archive 2022-04-20

A flower was named after its own extinction — then it was rediscovered: Botanists found patches of rainforest in Ecuador long believed to have been wiped out

Religious clashes across India spark fears of further violence: The country has been shaken by escalating confrontations between Hindus and Muslims

Biden’s urgent moves on gas prices collide with lofty climate goals: The president took office determined to shift the nation’s course on climate change. That legacy could be threatened by the political urgency to cut gas prices.

Elon Musk’s talks of a Twitter takeover mask Tesla’s troubles in China: Some are concerned the Tesla CEO may be stretching himself too thin

Reading archive 2022-04-19

How a Mariupol steel plant became a holdout for the city’s resistance

Surrounded by Russians, commander describes life inside Mariupol plant

Reading archive 2022-04-18

McDuffie ineligible to run for D.C. attorney general, elections board says

The nuclear missile next door: What it’s like to live with a bomb stronger than 20 Hiroshimas in a time of rising worldwide tensions.

China tries to cover lockdown strains on Shanghai’s front-line workers

Elon Musk wants a free speech utopia. Technologists clap back.: Musk’s vision of the Internet is outdated and doesn’t take into account the real world, they say - "Fast forward and the Internet is indeed a different place. Russian trolls sowed disinformation on social platforms in the 2016 U.S. election and President Donald Trump used a network of followers as a misinformation megaphone in the lead up to the last election. Anti-vaccine activists have used social media to spread health conspiracies to millions of people. Even now, amid the conflict in Ukraine, researchers and Facebook have identified disinformation networks trying to tilt public opinion toward Russia."

A Democrat in gym shorts tries to rally blue votes in Trump country: John Fetterman believes his road to the U.S. Senate runs through Pennsylvania’s red, rural areas

The mindfulness conspiracy: It is sold as a force that can help us cope with the ravages of capitalism, but with its inward focus, mindful meditation may be the enemy of activism. - "Instead of encouraging radical action, mindfulness says the causes of suffering are disproportionately inside us, not in the political and economic frameworks that shape how we live. And yet mindfulness zealots believe that paying closer attention to the present moment without passing judgment has the revolutionary power to transform the whole world. It’s magical thinking on steroids."

Thich Nhat Hanh: is mindfulness being corrupted by business and finance?

The Trouble with Mindfulness Be mindful of three compelling problems with mindfulness. - "Thus, these studies basically find that mindfulness is better than nothing. Those that do use established interventions as comparison groups in randomized trials generally find that mindfulness works about as well as the other interventions such as exercise, prayer, pleasant activities (including watching television), and so forth."

Mindfulness is a capitalist grift: How faux enlightenment maintains our status quo: The meditative practice favored by America's titans of industry bears no relation to its anti-materialist origins

Reading archive 2022-04-17

Opinion: Wisconsin’s Tom Nelson reminds Democrats how populists should sound

How war in Ukraine turned Sri Lanka’s economic crisis into a calamity: An island nation struggles with food and fuel as global prices soar

Reading archive 2022-04-16

In Johnson County, biologists are poisoning trees to save birds and butterflies

Can getting dunked on online win an election? Long-shot candidates build social media clout, and donor lists, by “running against villains.” - "In one recent TikTok video Walker says he’s not interested in adopting a platform 'designed to placate your over-woke Twitter temper tantrum pipe dream.' His website urges people to watch his launch video 'on the corrupt Big Tech platform of your choice!'"

How ‘Wilderness’ Was Invented Without Indigenous Peoples - "Many 'wild,' highly biodiverse landscapes are strongly linked to past human land use.

...

"Another point of contention is whether traditional and Indigenous management practices are truly sustainable for local species, or simply sustainable because they are being used to support relatively small human populations. Given the size of the Homo sapiens population globally today, perhaps it is not realistic to imagine that people can be trusted to preserve nature if some of it isn’t set aside."

Feral Honey Bees Pose a New Threat to Endangered Seabirds: On the Hawaiian island of Kaua‘i, the invasive insects can cause nest abandonment and even kill chicks when they invade burrows.

Reading archive 2022-04-15

Four males take two dogs at gunpoint in separate robberies in D.C.: Police say they think the same group also shot two men and robbed another person in Northeast Washington

First busload of migrants from Texas arrives in D.C.

A restaurant manager flew a Ukrainian flag. Hateful messages followed.

‘Forever chemicals’ upended a Maine farm — and point to larger problem

Ukraine is scanning faces of dead Russians, then contacting the mothers: Ukrainian officials say the use of facial recognition software could help end the brutal war. But some experts call it ‘classic psychological warfare’ that sets a gruesome precedent.

Shanghai’s covid siege: Food shortages, talking robots, starving animals

Reading archive 2022-04-14

Brooklyn Nets owner Joe Tsai is the face of NBA's uneasy China relationship

Russia threatens to move nukes to Baltic region if Finland, Sweden join NATO

Elon Musk launches hostile takeover bid for Twitter: The Tesla CEO, who recently became the social media company’s largest shareholder, is offering $54.20 per share

Poland builds a border wall, even as it welcomes Ukrainian refugees

Here’s how The Post analyzed Hunter Biden’s laptop: Two experts confirm the veracity of thousands of emails, but say a thorough examination was stymied by missing data - "In their examinations, Green and Williams found evidence that people other than Hunter Biden had accessed the drive and written files to it, both before and after the initial stories in the New York Post and long after the laptop itself had been turned over to the FBI."

"Russia cannot afford to lose, so we need a kind of a victory": Sergey Karaganov on what Putin wants A former adviser to the Kremlin explains how Russia views the war in Ukraine, fears over Nato and China, and the fate of liberalism.

'We Are Tired of Killing': How Long Can Ukraine Trade Land for Blood?: A journey to the front lines with an elite unit of Ukrainian marines willing to sacrifice everything

A policing strategy abandoned after Breonna Taylor’s death spreads to other cities: At least nine jurisdictions either plan to or have adopted the crime-reduction strategy known as ‘place network investigations’ — a model that examines geographic connections that allow crime to flourish.

What Should America Do With Its Nuclear Waste?: Currently there are about 80 locations in 35 states where spent fuel is being stored, with no long-term plans for disposal.

Slain 15-year-old was shot near family’s new home in Columbia Heights: Malachi Jackson’s mother and grandmother say neighborhood tensions led to the teen’s shooting

Economic toll in Texas worsens as trucks remain stopped at Mexico border Gov. Greg Abbott has kept many of his new inspection policies in place despite pleas from businesses for relief

Perennial Sources of Russian Weakness [ed. note: from The Economist in 1854]

I Commanded U.S. Army Europe. Here’s What I Saw in the Russian and Ukrainian Armies.: The two armies at war today couldn’t be more different.

Reading archive 2022-04-13

Opinion: A Democrat erupts at Josh Hawley, and a ‘loudness’ gap is revealed - "We’re constantly told the American people hate Washington dysfunction. Yet McConnell knows he can cheerfully threaten something this obscenely destructive without fearing any political downside."

Lachlan Murdoch, once the ambivalent Fox heir, makes his views clear: The News Corp. co-chair, Rupert’s eldest son, left no mystery about his conservative politics in a fiery speech

Andrew Giuliani is test-driving his father’s legacy in New York: The Giuliani name may not be in good enough condition to get Andrew to Albany. But it’s still great for rolling through Queens.

U.S. HUNT FOR RUSSIAN OLIGARCHS’ HUGE FORTUNES FACES BARRIERS OFFSHORE

Higher interest rates could help, Powell says. Not everyone agrees.: The Federal Reserve has outlined a fix it says can help with surging prices and a tight labor market. Economists say it’s much more complicated.

Trump endorses Dr. Oz in Pennsylvania Senate race, a key battleground: The former president wades into a closely watched contest.

Opinion: CNN’s Brian Stelter blindsided by co-author of Fox News study

Backed-up pipes, stinky yards: Climate change is wrecking septic tanks

A Brit fighting in Ukraine said his unit would surrender. He’s now missing.

Opinion: Why Biden’s pandering trip to the ‘heartland’ is worthwhile - "If recent experience has taught us anything, it’s that 'heartland' voters don’t much care whether politicians undertake policy initiatives that actually help them. They’re far more concerned about whether those politicians pander effectively to their feelings — sometimes their hopes and dreams, but more often their fears and resentments. 

"My favorite recent example comes from 2016, when Hillary Clinton was excoriated for being honest about the fact that coal is a dying industry — while saying that she wanted to give direct help to the communities that are already suffering because of its decline. Meanwhile, Donald Trump told West Virginia voters, 'For those miners, get ready because you’re going to be working your asses off,' to thunderous cheers.

"It was a promise that could never be kept, and anyone with any sense knew it. In 2016, the last year before Trump took office, government data show coal industry employment at just under 52,000, already a tiny number. By the spring of 2021, after he left office, the number was down to under 37,000. Trump did not stop the decline of the coal industry. 

"But here’s the politically important part: Voters in coal country didn’t mind that Trump didn’t improve their lives in the way he said he would. They were as devoted to him as ever in 2020, if not more so."

Finland moves closer to joining NATO: Invasion of Ukraine may bring the alliance nearer to Russia’s doorstep

Reading archive 2022-04-12

Man accused of posing as federal officer says actions were 'for friendship’: Arguments from defense attorneys shed new light on a case that accuses two men of cozying up to Secret Service agents.

The FBI wants to stay in D.C., but Congress has already said goodbye

Hubris and isolation led Vladimir Putin to misjudge Ukraine

An Indigenous village works to save a Brazilian forest, seed by seed

Congress details allegations of Commanders’ ‘unlawful’ conduct to FTC

Maryland’s Commanders offer: $400M for local needs, nothing for team: Incentive package builds out community rather than football facilities. ‘We have to take care of ourselves first before we take care of anybody else,’ one lawmaker says.

The Commanders may relocate. Neighbors say good riddance.: Many say they’ve seen little benefit since the team’s stadium arrived in Landover 25 years ago.

Finland and Sweden joining NATO could put Trump’s GOP in the hot seat

Pentagon looks to vastly expand weapons for Ukraine: Ukrainian officials also met recently with the maker of Reaper and Predator drones, a company official said

Now warning about Hunter Biden-laptop disinfo: The guy who leaked it

Reading archive 2022-04-07

Germany intercepts Russian talk of indiscriminate killings in Ukraine

Reading archive 2022-04-06

Six steps the world can take to halt climate change: The U.N.'s latest climate change report details the massive shifts necessary to cut the world’s emissions. But it also outlines various ways that can help hit the brakes on the planet’s warming.

This Florida teen went viral for his lesson on the Stonewall riots: Will Larkins, a student at Winter Park High School, gave the lesson just days after Gov. DeSantis signed a controversial bill limiting LGBTQ discussion in schools into law

Florida’s law limiting LGBTQ discussion in schools, explained - "'Cash-strapped school districts can’t afford to test the bounds of a law like this,' Wolf said, citing reports that some schools in the state have started to peel off rainbow safe-space stickers from windows. 'It’s the chilling effect that is a natural implication of this legislation.'"

A wind energy company has pleaded guilty after killing at least 150 eagles

For the rising stars of Taiwanese political satire, China is a joke

Right-wing Azov Battalion emerges as a controversial defender of Ukraine: Militia with far-right views says it welcomes all volunteers, regardless of ideology, in the fight against Russia

Reading archive 2022-04-05

Opinion: Hey, Tucker Carlson, are you still rooting for Russia over Ukraine?

Sarah Lawrence sex-cult trial shows devastated young lives: Lawrence Ray is accused of manipulating and abusing his daughter’s college friends and others he brought into his circle

‘Aggressive’ fox caught on U.S. Capitol grounds after biting attacks: A congressman was among those who got nipped: ‘Probably my most unusual day on the Hill in 10 years’

Robert White challenges Trayon White’s signatures in D.C. mayor’s race

What Do Cities Lose When They Lose Pro Sports?: In negotiations between the Oakland Athletics and city officials over the future of the A’s in Oakland, more is on the line than just baseball

Reading archive 2022-04-04

Jewish Ukrainians gear up for fierce Russia fight, alongside the ‘neo-Nazis’ they say Putin is lying about

Taiwan’s Han Chinese seek a new identity among the island’s tribes - "The embrace of Indigenous identities by Taiwan’s young Han Chinese, the dominant ethnic group in China, too, also undermines one of the key arguments used by Chinese leaders to justify the unification of China and Taiwan — common heritage and ethnicity."

Md. has $400 million plan for Commanders, but it won’t build a stadium: The proposal would invest money in the community, not the team, and comes as Commanders face potential backlash over a widening congressional investigation.

Reading archive 2022-04-03

In eastern Ukraine, the epicenter of the war, a brutal fight rages

At the Gridiron dinner, a Republican governor roasted Trump: Gov. Chris Sununu’s jokes found an enthusiastic audience in Washington A-listers, who resumed a long-running tradition after a two-year hiatus

In Tbilisi, Georgia, even Russian activists get a less friendly welcome

Signs of massacre in Bucha spark calls for war-crime probes

Reading archive 2022-04-01

Russia steadies rouble with harsh capital controls and investment curbs: Moscow has averted financial collapse by crimping the flow of funds out of the country

Russia accuses Ukraine of helicopter strike on Belgorod fuel depot

A Belarusian battalion fights in Ukraine ‘for both countries’ freedom’

A historic all-Black town wants reparations to rebuild as a ‘safe haven’: Once thriving, Tullahassee, Okla., was ravaged by policies that divested Black communities