Reading archive 2024-12-31

In a war between tech bros and core MAGA, the winner is easy to spot: They are a selfish bunch who have shown time and again that what interests them most is themselves.

In India’s shadow war with Pakistan, a campaign of covert killings: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has cast himself as more willing to take on India’s enemies beyond its borders than any other leader since independence.

Why the world needs lazier robots

Man is fatally stabbed Monday afternoon in Dupont Circle: The killing was the District’s second of the day, bringing the city’s yearly total to 189.

Carter to lie in state at Capitol, with state funeral to follow on Jan. 9: Former presidents and other dignitaries are expected to attend the service at Washington National Cathedral where President Joe Biden will deliver the eulogy.

D.C. U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves to resign before Trump takes office: Graves oversaw the Jan. 6 investigation and prosecuted Capitol rioters, local police officers and a D.C. Council member.

Putin says he saved Russia, but a year of challenges suggests Moscow’s position is precarious: Marking 25 years in office, Vladimir Putin says he has remade Russia as a sovereign power and will prevail in Ukraine, but economic and strategic setbacks complicate the picture. - "'Putin has successfully convinced Washington that he is to be feared and that he is crazy enough to drag NATO into war,' analysts from the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington-based think tank, concluded in a recent report. 'Allies have let their fear of escalation overtake a winning military strategy. As a result, Putin has put a finger to the wind and sees it is blowing in his direction.'"

How endangered wolves are getting help crossing the road: Cars keep killing one of America’s most endangered animals. A $25 million federal grant will help red wolves and other animals in eastern North Carolina safely cross the road.

Reading archive 2024-12-30

A plot in paradise and India’s struggle for influence in Asia: Secret contacts between Indian agents and politicians in the Maldives over ousting its pro-China leader reflect the growing contest between Asia’s great powers.

A driver ran over a man on Christmas Eve, then ran away: A pedestrian was killed in D.C. while standing on the sidewalk.

D.C. restaurateur who berated driver in viral video is charged with bias crime: An arrest warrant was issued for the owner of Canna Coffee in Adams Morgan after his angry encounter with a Latino food deliverer in September.

Mount Everest officials to employ drones to deal with growing problem — here's how it could clean the 'world's highest garbage dump'

Why you should take a 'fart walk' after a meal

Fire or water? New option for cremations in Baltimore is first in Maryland

Energy-hungry AI firms bet on these moonshot technologies: The immense electricity needs of data centers have alarmed the power sector. These technologies promise huge amounts of new energy — at a steep cost.

U.S. Treasury says it was hacked by China-backed actor: The department told lawmakers that the breach gained access to government workstations and unclassified documents.

Reading archive 2024-12-29

He faced charges for tearing down their Pride flag. The couple forgave him.: Matthew Henshaw participated in the Heart of Safety Restorative Justice Conferencing Program, which included meeting with the couple.

Legalizing sports gambling was a terrible bet: With societal ills and sports scandals on the rise, Congress should rein in the betting industry. - "Legalized sports betting was supposed to enable gambling companies to identify and weed out problem bettors. Instead, the opposite has happened: High rollers who lose are targeted and courted as VIPs, showered with quick credit and other perks, and encouraged to gamble more — to 'chase' their losses, in industry parlance. Those who actually win big get limits imposed on how much they can bet."

Trump backs H-1B visas, aligning with Musk on immigration: “I’ve always liked the visas,” he said, siding with tech leaders against anti-immigration hard-liners.

A South American waterway becomes a cocaine superhighway — to Europe - "Following a story in The Washington Post that reported on the planned end to cooperation, the Paraguayan government reversed its decision, saying it plans to strengthen collaboration with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration."

The Cyber Sleuth: Geraldine Brooks on Jarod Koopman of the Internal Revenue Service - "It was through a fellow accounting student at Nazareth that Koopman found his calling. 'I knew she had an internship with the IRS, and she came back to the dorm one day saying she’d just accompanied a team executing a warrant on a drug dealer, and I’m like, wait, the IRS does that?' He’d always been attracted to a career in law enforcement, and here was a job that could couple that ambition with his accounting skills. Koopman applied for the internship his senior year and was hired into the Rochester field office after he graduated in 2001. His early cases were white-collar crimes such as investment fraud and Ponzi schemes. 'I’m 20 years old, sitting across the table from people in their 80s who are crying because they’ve trusted someone with their hard-earned retirement savings, and they’ve lost everything. You want to get the person responsible for that.'

...

"Everyone knows that Al Capone was nailed for tax evasion, but it’s Eliot Ness and the FBI who are lionized. The real hero of that bust was an IRS agent named Michael Malone, who lived undercover with Capone’s men, collecting evidence for nearly three years."

Man accused of attacking TV reporter, saying ‘This is Trump’s America now’

Reading archive 2024-12-28

‘Baby in a dumpster.’ A spate of abandoned newborns unsettles Texas.: Critics say these cases are no coincidence in a state with one of the nation’s most restrictive abortion bans and near-bottom rankings on women’s health care.

Putin apologizes for airline crash, does not take responsibility: Putin apologized for the “tragic incident” in Russian airspace, but the Kremlin did not take responsibility for downing the Azerbaijan Airlines flight.

China unveils new futuristic fighter jets in surprise flyby: Viral images on Chinese social media show the sophisticated jets flying at low altitude. Analysts say it could mark a breakthrough in Beijing’s military modernization.

Federal government nears debt-ceiling limit, Yellen warns: The Treasury Department on Friday said the government is beginning to run out of money to finance its debt obligations.

Putin rejects peace plan proposal being crafted by Trump team – ISW

Reading archive 2024-12-27

Spanberger faces reckoning with left in bid for Va. governor: The swing-district Democrat was on a seeming glidepath to her party’s gubernatorial nomination. Now she’s in the middle of its soul-searching.

How to get that drain unclogged, and other wisdom from plumbers: Pros share their tips — and their best gossip — about what goes down in your home’s pipes. - "One chemical agent that plumbers do recommend is an enzyme-based product called Green Gobbler. 'They come in strips that you put down the drain,' Boylen says. 'The strips disintegrate, and the enzymes break down organic matter, like grease or fat or food particles.' Enzymes work slowly, so these products will not offer relief for clogs, but they can help to keep clogs from forming. They are also safe to use in septic systems, unlike other chemical drain openers, which should never be used to clear a pipe that drains into a septic system."

A hoot of a guest flew through a chimney and perched on a Christmas tree: Video of the barred owl flying through the Northern Virginia home has delighted viewers and spread cheer.

Squirrels were filmed feasting on tiny rodents. Scientists are perplexed.: Researchers said in a new study that they were stunned to witness California ground squirrels, who mostly eat nuts and seeds, hunting and eating voles.

A MAGA ‘Civil War’ on X between Musk and the far right over H-1B visas: The online rift over the H-1B skilled-worker visa program signifies a potential wedge between Trump’s core base and his new Silicon Valley supporters. - "Trump has sought to position himself as a champion for legal immigration, even though he slashed pathways for immigrants during his first term. Trump has offered few specifics about how he will address high-skilled immigration in the tech industry during his second term.

...

"Ramaswamy said in an X post on Thursday that the reason technology companies hire foreign-born engineers is because 'American culture has venerated mediocrity over excellence for way too long,' drawing criticism from notable pro-Trump personalities."

With election over, Biden eyes parting blow to Putin war chest: The administration is considering major new financial sanctions on energy, in part to give the new Trump team leverage in Ukraine talks. But Biden may not want to drive gas prices up, even in his final days in office.

This company rates news sites’ credibility. The right wants it stopped.: NewsGuard, which prizes its nonpartisan criteria, has become a prime target of the GOP’s battle against disinformation watchdogs.

The purple priestess of Wicca in Wisconsin: Selena Fox has been a public-facing proponent of nature religions for 50 years. And yes, she’s enchanted Instagram, where she sings, prays and advocates for the rights of veterans.

Welcome to the loneliest Metro stop: Loudoun Gateway, the second-to-last station on the Silver Line, was envisioned as a thriving mixed-use stop. Instead, it’s anything but.

Trump’s Panama Canal threats designed to scuttle China influence: The president-elect intends to push back on Beijing’s “growth and strategic footprint” in the Western Hemisphere, said Trump’s pick for Latin America special envoy.

Reading archive 2024-12-21 through 2024-12-26

"Impossible" success: Quantum teleportation on the internet is set to change the world

Woman rescued from burning car after crashing into D.C. building: The building in Northeast Washington partially collapsed.

Trump wants federal workers back in the office. It may be a tall task.: President-elect Donald Trump’s plans for a return-to-office mandate for federal workers will face stiff resistance and union contracts that guarantee remote work.

Finland seizes ship in probe of undersea cable damage: Damage to the power cable in the Baltic Sea is the latest in a spate of murky disruptions to undersea cables that have put European authorities on high alert.

After backing Trump, low-income voters hope he doesn’t slash their benefits: Voters in the struggling Pennsylvania city of New Castle backed Trump hoping he’d curb inflation. But the incoming president will be under pressure to cut spending.

Who controls Greenland, and why does Trump want to buy it?: The Arctic island is not for sale, its own government and that of Denmark continue to emphasize.

Maryland lands D.C. fighter jets in football stadium deal: D.C.'s Air National Guard fighter squadron will move under the Maryland National Guard’s authority, a swap negotiated as part of the deal to let the city regain control of the RFK Stadium site.

Inside the RFK bill stunner: Fighter jets and a promise to a D.C. nemesis: One by one, Mayor Muriel E. Bowser and her allies tackled objections from the bill’s chief opponents to carve out a last-minute path to a win in the Senate.

Senate adjourns without confirming D.C. judges as ‘vacancy crisis’ persists: Local officials decried the court vacancies as a problem for public safety.

The ‘Carol of the Bells’ comes from Ukraine’s fight for independence: It was a folk song performed across the world as “cultural diplomacy” by an embattled nation being devoured by Russians in 1922.

Insurance is what makes U.S. health-care prices so high: America needs a working marketplace where patients are the primary customers.

For some Latinos, ‘prosperity gospel’ led them to Trump: The set of beliefs has overtaken traditional theologies centered on the poor. Some experts say that helps explain a shift among Latino Christians to Trump.

Green crabs have invaded habitats. Sea otters might be the solution.: A recent study found sea otters are eating thousands of green crabs at a California reserve, reducing the invasive species’ population.

Reading archive 2024-12-20

The Council Finally Passed a Juvenile Justice Reform Bill. But It Was ‘Gutted’ at Bowser’s Behest.: Legislation to overhaul the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services got a lot weaker due to concerns raised about the agency’s capacity to treat kids.

Why House Democrats rejected Ocasio-Cortez’s power play: Her defeat by Gerry Connolly should not be misread as an indictment of the party’s youth movement.

The clash between AOC and Nancy Pelosi is now a play: Off-Broadway’s “N/A,” written by a former congressional aide, is inspired by the ideological battle between two of the most famous names in the House.

I talked to Ruben Gallego. Democrats should listen to him.: How did Gallego beat the Senate odds in a tough swing state? With a few good practices.

The U.S. seized a Russian yacht. Now you’re paying for it. - "Until now, those costs have been largely hidden from public view. But records obtained by The Post, coupled with federal court filings, indicate that the United States has spent roughly $30 million to maintain the Amadea since it was seized — a figure a Justice Department spokeswoman later confirmed."

8 policies stripped from GOP bill after Trump, Musk rebellion: Research for children’s health, a crackdown on junk fees, pay hikes for lawmakers and more were jettisoned from the legislation. - "Brian Riedl, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, a conservative-leaning think tank, pointed out that the revised legislation wouldn’t really have saved taxpayers any money, despite the shorter page count."

These steelworkers want a U.S. Steel sale. Biden and Trump don’t.: As White House decision looms, many steelworkers see deal as lifeline for their aging mills.

How a cellphone ban changed the way one high school scrolled: Many schools across the country, including Wakefield High in Virginia, are restricting phone use to improve teens’ mental health and reduce the harmful effects of social media.

These batteries could harness the wind and sun to replace coal and gas

Texas is gearing up in a big way for Trump’s mass deportation campaign: The state’s Republican leaders say they’re primed for Texas to be both the model and epicenter as the incoming administration cracks down on immigration.

Reading archive 2024-12-18

Former D.C. drug kingpin Rayful Edmond dies months after leaving prison: Edmond, a symbol of the city’s 1980s crack epidemic, stepped down to community corrections this summer and was set to be released from custody next year. - "His mother, Constance 'Bootsie' Perry, was recorded by an undercover informant bragging how she and her husband, Rayful Edmond II, taught their son how to sell drugs when he was a youth, Murphy said."

Youngkin says nation’s first commercial fusion plant to be built in Virginia: If the technology can be proved, the project promises to supply about 400 megawatts of electricity — enough energy to power about 150,000 homes.

Reading archive 2024-12-17

They went to an ‘all-walking’ school. They died walking there.: The families of Sky Sosa, a 5-year-old boy, and Shalom Mbah, a 10-year-old girl, are suing over their deaths. - "Her lawsuit, filed Dec. 5, says that while Riverdale describes itself as an 'all-walking school,' Jiminez was driving a group of students that day. Neither intersection approaching the school, which 635 students attend, has traffic lights or pedestrian signals."

Bipartisan bill to avert government shutdown appears to hit snags: Competing demands over RFK Stadium and farm assistance have weighed down negotiations.

jonetta rose barras: How would eliminating the federal Department of Education affect public education in DC?

DC fails to enforce its own law, leaving wheelchair users stranded

FTC issues rules requiring hotels, ticket sellers to reveal ‘junk fees’: The industries must display the full price of a hotel room, concert ticket or sporting event upfront to customers or face potential federal punishment.

In online drone panic, conspiracy thinking has gone mainstream: Authorities are urging calm. But with trust in media and other institutions at all-time lows, fringe theories are winning the day. - "'Re those mysterious UFO drones over New Jersey: What could they possibly be? Let’s see … — long cylindrical tube — 2 big wings in front — 2 small wings in back — blinking lights matching FAA required pattern … I give up. I guess we’ll never know,' wrote Michael Shermer, a former columnist for Scientific American."

Democrats, readying to battle Trump, shake up House committees: House Democrats on Tuesday elected new leaders on three key committees, a shake-up that signals a generational shift as they prepare to take on Trump

How to deal with all the black plastic in your kitchen: Research suggests black plastic, which can be made from recycled electronic waste, could contain toxic chemicals that might leach into your food.

15-year-old girl named as shooter at Christian school in Wisconsin: One teacher and one student were killed, and the shooter died of a self-inflicted wound, police said.

America’s best decade, according to data: One simple variable, more than anything, determines when you think the nation peaked. - "The good old days when America was 'great' aren’t the 1950s. They’re whatever decade you were 11, your parents knew the correct answer to any question, and you’d never heard of war crimes tribunals, microplastics or improvised explosive devices. Or when you were 15 and athletes and musicians still played hard and hadn’t sold out.

...

"YouGov didn’t just ask about the best music and the best economy. The pollsters also asked about the worst music and the worst economy. But almost without exception, if you ask an American when times were worst, the most common response will be 'right now!'"

California just made a big bet on the future of electric vehicles: The move offers a counternarrative as Donald Trump’s return to the White House is fueling uncertainty about the future of America’s shift to EVs.

Scientists just confirmed the largest bird-killing event in modern history: A marine heat wave in the Pacific Ocean that began a decade ago killed some 4 million common murres in Alaska, researchers say.

Reading archive 2024-12-16

In some port towns, it’s residents vs. cruises: ‘We’re going to eradicate them’: From Alaska to Maine to Virginia, residents are using their voices and the law to preserve their communities.

Trump is filling his Cabinet fast. But can he fulfill his promises?: The president-elect’s personnel decisions raise questions about whether his true priorities square with the people who voted for him. - "Mass deportations would mean sending many undocumented migrant agricultural workers back to their home countries. Asked in that same Time interview if doing so would raise food prices sharply, he replied, 'No, because we’re going to let people in, but we have to let them in legally.' That non sequitur is an example of the disconnect between Trump’s rhetorical flourishes and reality."

Kamala Harris grapples with her future in a wounded Democratic Party: As questions loom about a run for president or governor, many Democrats do not blame Harris for her loss, but that doesn’t mean they want her to run again - "Her husband, Doug Emhoff, plans to return to his career as an entertainment lawyer, and shortly after the election, the couple decamped to Hawaii with a small coterie of aides to decompress and relax." [ed. note: MUST BE NICE]

Kamala Harris grapples with her future in a wounded Democratic Party: As questions loom about a run for president or governor, many Democrats do not blame Harris for her loss, but that doesn’t mean they want her to run again

Virginia man convicted of funding Islamic State in terrorism trial: Lawyers for Mohammed Chhipa, 35, argued he was ensnared by the FBI with a fake marriage ruse.

A low, low point for ABC News: ABC News not only settled a defamation suit with Trump. It paid out $15 million. What? - "The posture of ABC News progressed from unreasonably dismissive (rejecting legitimate demands for correction) to unreasonably accommodating (giving away the store to Trump via $15 million, a note of contrition and so on)."

As D.C. Council weighs Trayon White’s fate, one lawmaker calls for expulsion: Council member Charles Allen (D-Ward 6) said he is in favor of expelling White, who pleaded not guilty to a federal bribery charge in September.

D.C. Council committee recommends expelling White after bribery charge: The unanimous vote means that the council may vote to expel White in early 2025. White will have at least 30 days to prepare a defense.

Metro orders employees back to the office by July: The move comes as federal workers await word on similar mandates.

Some N.C. residents distrust FEMA so much they’re hesitant to apply for hurricane aid: It is one of the more unusual elements of Hurricane Helene’s aftermath in western North Carolina.

Assad’s fall to Islamist rebels in Syria unsettles region’s autocrats: Leaders in countries such as Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia are worried Assad’s ouster, and the rise of an Islamist government, could stir unrest at home.

Faced with mounting public anger, a weakened Hamas starts to compromise: A new proposal for a 60-day pause in hostilities in Gaza and the exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners includes key concessions from Hamas.

Woman behind infamous Duke lacrosse rape accusations admits she lied: The case against three White players dominated national news for months but later unraveled. On a recent podcast, Crystal Mangum revisited that time.

Ukrainian troops say inexperienced North Koreans are making easy targets: At least 30 North Koreans were “killed or wounded” over the weekend while fighting for Russia in the Kursk region, Ukrainian military intelligence said.

Trump eyes privatizing U.S. Postal Service, citing financial losses: Trump feuded with the mail agency in his first term. Privatizing it could shake up consumer shipping and business supply chains. - "Cuts to the Postal Service could upend the trillion-dollar e-commerce industry, hitting small businesses and rural consumers whose businesses and budgets make the agency the shipper of choice. Amazon, the Postal Service’s largest customer, uses the agency for 'last-mile' delivery between its hulking product fulfillment centers and consumers’ homes and businesses. And the agency’s 'universal service obligation' — which requires it to deliver mail or parcels regardless of distance or profitability concerns — means it is often the only carrier that will deliver to far-flung reaches of the country."

Child care gets little help in Idaho. A family-run center is buckling.: As TLC For Tots and the parents depending on it worry about the future, lawmakers in this deeply conservative state say government shouldn’t play a role.

Turkey exploits post-9/11 counterterrorism model to target critics in exile: Turkey has drawn extensively from the U.S. counterterrorism post-9/11 playbook to go after exiled political enemies, in particular the Gulen movement. - "'Twenty-plus years after 9/11, you would anticipate a diminished' reliance on the terms and tactics associated with the war on terror, said Fionnuala Ni Aolain, who served as special rapporteur to the United Nations on counterterrorism and human rights from 2017 until last year. 'Instead, what we find is a repurposing, reappropriation and acceleration of those methods by backsliding democracies and authoritarian regimes.'"

Reading archive 2024-12-13

Tulsi Gabbard is going to hate the DNI job: Tulsi Gabbard might soon learn director of national intelligence isn’t what it’s cracked up to be.

Puritan baby names are back. Is ’90s culture responsible?: We took a look at data going back to the Revolutionary War and found something shocking: Virtue names such as Hope, Charity and Faith are back and bigger than ever!

In Georgia’s capital, a new fury fuels street protests: The ruling Georgian Dream party might have underestimated the depth of the people’s frustration.

Energized by next Trump term, red states move agendas further right: Governors, legislators and attorneys general ready plans for the “perfect storm of conservative policies” coming to many state legislatures and Washington.

Assad lived in quiet luxury while Syrians went hungry: Syria’s ousted leader cultivated a modest image. Footage revealing hidden opulence tells a different story. - "An effusive 2011 Vogue profile of the first lady titled 'A Rose in the Desert' — which was later taken down and mostly scrubbed from the internet — heralded the Assads’ supposed down-to-earth nature, a narrative the family was emphasizing even then."

U.S. citizen found in Syria says he was imprisoned for months: The man, who identified himself as Travis Timmerman, said he had crossed into Syria from neighboring Lebanon months ago on a ‘pilgrimage’ to Damascus. [ed. note: whither Austin Tice?]

D.C. asks for redo of ANC election after college student flagged errors: A sophomore seeking the unglamorous neighborhood advisory role grew suspicious when she only received just one vote - her own ballot.

Gold bar scammer sentenced to five years for attempted theft: Judge calls sentence “measured deterrence” against scams that bilked millions from Montgomery County residents - "'The only real explanation I think that I can see here,' Arora [the defense attorney] said, 'is this is somebody who acted out of immaturity without really weighing the consequences of the decisions that he was making.'" [ed. note: um and greed]

FBI agent accused of rape two years after acquittal for Metro shooting: Eduardo Valdivia, 40, faces two counts of second-degree rape in Montgomery County for incidents at his purported tattoo and photo studio.

How a brutally repressive African country freely raises money in the U.S.: Eritrea’s embassy has helped raise millions of dollars to promote the interests of the cash-strapped country. Its ruling party is under U.S. sanctions.

Lina Khan Goes Out With a Bang: The failed Kroger-Albertsons merger offers the clearest proof yet that the new antitrust movement is breaking through. - "Internal company documents and testimony showed that, in many markets, Kroger and Albertsons view each other as their main competitor. 'You are basically creating a monopoly in grocery with the merger,' one Albertsons executive wrote. Other evidence showed Kroger raising prices on milk and eggs, lowering them only if a nearby store owned by Albertsons did so. (In fact, in the separate trial of Colorado’s challenge to the merger, an executive testified that Kroger systematically raised prices at 'no-comp stores'—that is, stores in towns where there was no competition—and kept prices lower in towns with another grocer.)"

Reading archive 2024-12-12

D.C. Mayor Bowser says Maryland is holding up RFK stadium deal: Funding to replace the collapsed Key Bridge has now entered the complex, multi-party negotiations over federal bill that could pave the way for the Commanders’ next stadium to be in D.C.

With Bill Belichick, UNC signs on for an awkward, miserable experience: The Bill Belichick experience — dour, irritable and ruthless — is coming to Chapel Hill, and it promises to be a coarse yet gripping experiment.

North Carolina GOP changes election rules before losing supermajority: Republicans in the state legislature gave an ally control over the state’s elections board, rewrote ballot-counting rules and chipped away at the power of the incoming Democratic governor.

He thought he had escaped Beijing’s clutches only to vanish back into China - "Cambodian police documents obtained by The Post and business registration filings list the owner of the Thma Da compound as MDS Heng He Investment Co. Ltd. The filings show the company was formed through a joint venture between a Cambodian company controlled by Try Pheap — a Cambodian tycoon under U.S. sanctions and an adviser to the country’s former prime minister and strongman Hun Sen — and a Chinese company established in Cambodia in 2018. This arrangement, researchers and officials say, is typical of online scam operations, which are closely tied to Cambodia’s political elite and are estimated to exceed $12.5 billion annually in returns for Cambodia, according to the United States Institute of Peace."

Assad’s fall humiliated Putin and could dent his global ambitions: Assad’s fall nine years after Russia saved his regime is a stunning blow to Putin’s goal of forging Russia into a world power to compete with the United States.

The Postal Service’s electric mail trucks are way behind schedule: Defense contractor Oshkosh had only delivered 93 trucks by November — compared to 3,000 originally expected by now. The delays put Biden’s climate goals at risk.

Reading archive 2024-12-11

Bike lanes are consuming our streets and parking spaces: Readers push back against pesky bike lanes in D.C. and around the country.

Bikes deserve just as much of a place in the road as cars: Readers contest Marc Fisher’s column about the real purpose for D.C.’s new bike lanes.

Bowser, GOP lawmakers forge unlikely alliance over return-to-office mandate: Bowser’s first test before emboldened GOP representatives focused on federal workers and funding for inauguration security.

Luigi Mangione ‘had so much to offer’ — now, he is a murder suspect: “As I knew him, he was a creator, not a taker of life,” one former classmate said of the man charged in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

Severe pain shaped UnitedHealth CEO murder suspect’s view of health system: Luigi Mangione described his struggles with back issues on Reddit and vented frustration over health-care industry.

Footage shows Mark Gastineau still prickly with Brett Favre over sack: The matter arose in an ESPN documentary, prompting the former quarterback to say “there was no malice on my part” toward the Jets lineman.

Trump’s fake-it-till-you-make-it autocracy: Get rid of all permitting? Unwind birthright citizenship? Easy-peasy, if you pretend the myriad laws preventing such moves don’t exist.

Foster advocacy group disputes that arrested member assaulted Rep. Nancy Mace: The foster advocacy group says the man simply shook hands with the congresswoman.

Progress on inflation stalled in November as prices rose: Prices rose by 2.7 percent annually in November, up slightly from earlier in the fall.

All the light we would rather not see: Light pollution is bad for our health and the environment. But turning off a few switches can help.

The upcoming housing battle that could roil mortgage costs even more: The first Trump administration tried to remove two mortgage giants, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, from government control. The second one might finish the job.

There’s something scarier than rising costs behind Trump’s victory: A broader dissatisfaction with liberal market democracy is churning up authoritarianism around the world. - "The economic interpretation of voters’ embrace of Trump is suspect not just because it is so narrow. For all the polls demonstrating Americans’ grim assessment of the economy, consumers have kept up spending as if they have few worries in the world. For all the gripes about the cost of living, real wages for typical American workers have been rising faster than inflation."

EPA Issues Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to Protect Salmon from Chemical Used in Rubber Products: EPA advances process under Toxic Substances Control Act in response to Tribal petition - "For example, there are data showing that 6PPD-quinone is toxic to fish, with coho salmon being the most sensitive species studied to date. However, there are still uncertainties about the potential impacts of 6PPD-quinone on human health, as well as the potential for exposure from other sources of 6PPD-quinone."

RFK Jr. wants fluoride out of drinking water. Oregon shows what’s coming.

How Trump’s tariffs could spark a trade war and ‘Europe’s worst economic nightmare’: European countries could be among those hardest hit if Trump follows through on tariffs. The European Union says it wants to negotiate but is prepared to retaliate.

Ukraine races to develop its own long-range weapons to counter Russia: Troops have demonstrated their skill with long-range drones by hitting deep inside Russia, but experts say they need the punch and power of ballistic missiles, as well.

Afghan blast kills key minister, shocking Taliban: Khalil Haqqani was the acting minister for refugees and a key member of the notorious Haqqani network.

CIA official Asif Rahman pleads not guilty in leak of secret files on Israel: U.S. District Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles ordered pretrial detention for Rahman, 34, finding that he posed a risk to national security.

Report finds ‘substantial evidence’ Trayon White violated D.C. code of conduct: Council members will meet Monday to consider sanctioning White based on the findings — which could result in White’s expulsion from the council.

Susan Smith, who drowned her sons in 1994, is denied parole. Here’s what to know.: Smith spent 30 years in prison for murdering her two sons by driving them into a lake in a case that drew worldwide attention.

Reading archive 2024-12-10

Construction company allegedly polluting Anacostia River given $1 billion by DC government: The company was first cited for environmental law violations in 2015, yet continued to receive significant government contracts.

Small SUVs are now the country’s cleanest cars. Really.: New compact SUVs now create less pollution, on average, than sedans, thanks to the rapid rise of small electric SUVs.

D.C. officials say their more aggressive approach to crime is working: District officials say their choices helped restore law and order in the city after a year that saw a generational spike in violence.

China reveals its playbook for dealing with impending Trump trade war: Beijing is responding to Biden administration actions decisively and swiftly — a warning to Donald Trump that it will play hardball this time, analysts say.

Russia’s elite sound the alarm on the economy amid high interest rates: Squeezed by Western sanctions and astonishingly high interest rates, Russia’s businesses fear bankruptcies as Putin pushes ahead with the Ukraine war.

Pro-lifers should start a fight over RFK Jr.: Kennedy would oversee many right-to-life issues as secretary of health and human services.

Killer whales bring back wearing salmon hats, but it’s not for fashion: Two orcas from the Pacific Northwest were spotted with dead salmon on their heads, an act first documented in the 1980s. Scientists aren’t sure what it means.

Musk’s politics hadn’t seeped into Tesla. Then he axed its eco car of the future.: Once one of America’s most outspoken voices on the threat of climate change, Elon Musk now argues these existential risks have been overstated. This shifting stance could influence Trump and help the Tesla CEO’s businesses.

The GOP’s top priority for 2025: Repeal the laws of arithmetic: Republicans are reinventing math to justify extending pricey Trump tax policies.

He was suicidal and needed help. A 15-year-old girl pushed him to kill himself on a live stream.: The death of a Minnesota man offers a case study into how a sadistic online group has used the messaging app Discord to find and torment vulnerable people.

This seaside town will power thousands of homes with waves: Wave energy has been untapped so far, but an experiment could unlock its potential in the United States.

Democrats, reeling from election losses, cast blame on each other: The internal ideological divisions burst into public view after Donald Trump beat Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential race.

The owl hunters: The deadly campaign to save an icon of the Pacific Northwest - "'You can’t be sitting front row to an extinction and not want to do something about it,' she said."

Reading archive 2024-12-09

Campus ban for two pro-Palestinian activists sparks outcry at George Mason: Two student activists with ties to GMU protesters were given four-year trespass notices for alleged vandalism.

Gold bar scammers claimed hackers could fund Russian missiles, police say: A suspect is due in court Monday in Montgomery County, where police say residents have lost more than $6.6 million in elaborate gold-bar scams.

Scam victims often feel shame. This support group helps them heal.

Drugs like ibuprofen can damage our gut lining. Try this instead.: Studies have linked nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen, naproxen and aspirin, to serious health effects.

LGBTQ+ Americans stockpile meds and make plans to move after Trump’s win: Some LGBTQ+ people are anxiously preparing for what they fear will be a rollback of their rights.

Black D.C. Residents Troubled by City Vacant Property Law

Why hydropower is failing this nation — and could fail others: Warmer temperatures are fueling drought, making it harder for Zambia and other developing nations to generate hydropower.

Philippines pivots from battling militants to projecting power at sea: Philippine leaders say they can turn their attention to the South China Sea because they’ve secured peace with separatist rebels. But the situation is precarious.

Reading archive 2024-12-08

Return-to-work mandates are an invisible pay cut: They also might signal a weakening economy.

A Michigan roofer’s smart plan to end the housing crisis: “Trump Towers” across America could help solve the problem.

Federal employees scramble to insulate themselves from Trump’s purge: Career civil servants are scrubbing social media, changing job titles and looking for private sector work over fear that Trump might fire them

Amid Syria’s upheaval, a wariness over the rebels’ Islamist roots: Western governments long worried about a “catastrophic success” in Syria if Islamist fighters gained control. But experts say the rebels have changed.

How scientists are giving these rare, brainy birds a second chance: After years in captivity, five members of a rare bird species called the ʻalala, or Hawaiian crow, are flying free in the wild, officials announced Wednesday.

Reading archive 2024-12-07

A major cocaine transit country is halting U.S. anti-drug cooperation: Paraguay’s antidrug agency has decided to halt cooperation with the United States, a significant blow to U.S. efforts to curb organized crime in the country.

Supreme Court term-limits amendment proposed by Sens. Manchin, Welch: The long-shot proposal by Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vermont) and outgoing Sen. Joe Manchin III (I-West Virginia) would impose 18-year term limits on new justices.

Trump hesitates to personally lobby for endangered Cabinet picks: The president-elect is not yet personally pushing hard for his selections, limiting his exposure if they withdraw or fail to win confirmation.

Slain UnitedHealth CEO faced ongoing court battles, threats: Common complaints against insurer denials were written on bullet casings found where Brian Thompson was killed.

Elon Musk’s Martian dreams are a boon to the U.S. military: Defense experts say SpaceX has leapfrogged global rivals and could help the United States deter -- or win -- a war against China. - "William Hartung, a senior research fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, who has been a critic of arms sales, called the predictions that SpaceX could help the U.S. deter or win a war against China 'wishful thinking' that is 'typical of the techno-optimism of the Silicon Valley defense sector.'"

Many targeted for removal by Trump can’t be deported, ICE data shows: Barriers to sending some immigrants home are among the legal and logistical obstacles President-elect Donald Trump faces as he pledges mass deportations

Why so many Americans prefer sprawl to walkable neighborhoods

Asleep at the Wheel in the Headlight Brightness Wars: The crusade against bright headlights has picked up speed in recent years, in large part due to a couple of Reddit nerds. Could they know what’s best for the auto industry better than the auto industry itself? - "The 'brighter is better' mentality is the ultimate thorn in the side of activists like Gatto and Morgan, who view it almost as an insult to their intelligence. Brumbelow pointed to a 2021 IIHS study that demonstrated a 19 percent reduction in nighttime single-vehicle crashes for cars with good headlight safety ratings, but Morgan sees a major issue with that study. 'Basically,' Morgan said, 'it means that assholes with bright headlights are in less single-car accidents than the people that they blind.'"

Reading archive 2024-12-06

Police arrest man in fatal shooting of 14-year-old in District Heights: A 19-year-old was charged with murder. Police say they’re still searching for others involved.

Fearful of crime, the tech elite transform their homes into military bunkers: By incorporating drones, facial recognition and high-tech sensors, Sauron aims to super-charge home security, part of Silicon Valley’s push to ease growing anxiety over safety.

With GOP help, Montana lawmakers vote down transgender bathroom rule: The measure would have barred Rep. Zooey Zephyr from using women’s bathrooms near the House and Senate chambers.

A scam upended her life. Now, her family is feeling it, too.

Second-guessers, scolders and empathizers. Readers react to ‘Scammed.’: Financial fraud is one of the few crimes in which victims are blamed for being victimized — and it needs to stop.

Reading archive 2024-12-05

Suddenly, Trump’s Ugliest Threats Are Facing Surprise GOP Resistance: One of Trump’s central campaign claims was that green energy and immigration pose a massive threat to American workers. But now it seems local Republicans think otherwise.

Michigan Trump voters rely on spending Musk's DOGE might cut

How Trump Can Rid Washington of Wokeness: End DEI, take control of museums, eliminate Census racial categories and defund public media.

Girl, 13, ordered held until age 21 in beating death of Reggie Brown: Brown’s family pleaded with officials from the city’s Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services not to release the teen earlier.

Americans lose billions to scams, then get taxed on stolen money: Meanwhile, Congress stalls on relief bills

Reading archive 2024-12-04

U.S. Zoos Gave a Fortune to Protect Pandas. That’s Not How China Spent It.: A Times investigation found that zoos knew conservation money went toward apartment buildings and roads. But they wanted to keep displaying pandas, so nobody looked too closely. - "China has built roads and developed tourism in and around nature reserves, piercing the natural habitat and leaving pandas isolated in ever-smaller populations, Chinese and American scientists have concluded.

"Their report estimated that wild pandas have less territory to roam than they did in the 1980s, before the influx of funds from foreign zoos."

Shots fired in D.C. in confrontations after car tampering: Woman wounded returning to car. Secret Service agent fires in second NW incident.

A bucket mystery: Compost container thefts baffle D.C. residents: The number of buckets stolen since the District program began last year has startled administrators.

Trump’s union-friendly labor secretary choice sparks GOP anxiety: Trump’s nomination of Oregon Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer surprised some because of her record of supporting pro-union measures.

Sledgehammer-wielding burglars smashed into 18 D.C. stores, police say: Police said the shops were targeted in wave of break-ins along a three mile stretch of Wisconsin Avenue between Georgetown and Tenleytown.

Union Station’s Amtrak ridership at 20-year high, but revenue lags: Nationwide, Amtrak ridership has rebounded from the pandemic even as the agency’s finances have not.

Maryland seeks D.C.’s Air National Guard squadron in RFK deal: Maryland senators, reluctant to lose the Commanders stadium to the RFK site in city, set several conditions for backing legislation that could pave the way for a move.

Inside D.C.’s struggle to rein in ticket scofflaws: More cars are being towed than ever, but the city still has more than $1.6 billion in uncollected fines.

Is Kristi Noem ready to run FEMA? South Dakota flood victims doubt it.: Trump has picked Noem as homeland security secretary, a job that includes overseeing federal disaster management. But some residents of her home state say she bungled the response to catastrophic floods in June.

Closing asset loophole can raise $100 billion in taxes, Treasury now says: The new estimate doubles what the agency previously said it could recover by preventing certain large businesses from manipulating the taxable value of assets.

She believed she was an FBI ‘asset.’ The scam drained her life’s savings.

Enter the ‘ether,’ where scammers weaponize your emotions - "'We tell people, 'don’t give out your bank account information or Social Security number,' and that’s all true,' Shadel said. 'But you also shouldn’t be telling a complete stranger about your grandchildren or what your concerns are in life.'"

The banks warned her it could be a con. The scammer’s influence was stronger. - "'Had they just been more personal and descriptive about what a scam could look like, maybe I would have wised up sooner.'

...

"'I never felt that their biggest concern was for my potential losses, although they repeated the word scam but absolutely no context of what that could look like,' Judith said of the banks. 'Rather, they described their institutional losses from other scams and how the individuals came back to blame them. Had they just been more personal and descriptive about what a scam could look like, maybe I would have wised up sooner. "

'Instead, I felt like I was being judged as a crazy old lady." [ed. note: lol they warned you and described what would happen perfectly]

A scammer impersonated a real FBI agent. It cost 13 victims $2.9 million.

Reading archive 2024-12-03

Robert Kennedy Jr. despises glyphosate. How should Iowa farmers respond? | Opinion: By combining Kennedy’s passion for a cleaner, healthier world with farmers’ ingenuity and resilience, we can create a food system that works for everyone.

Devon fishermen left feeling 'betrayed' by Brexit: 'Brexit was sold to our fishermen as a golden opportunity, yet the truth is that many fishermen have experienced the complete opposite'

Trump deportation plan could target as many as 1.1 million people in Florida: Miami-Dade in particular could prove ground zero for Trump’s immigration policies. - "The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a nonprofit research organization, showed in a report earlier this year that an estimated 747,000 undocumented immigrants in Florida paid more than $1.8 billion in state and local taxes in 2022.

"Nationwide, almost $100 billion in federal, state and local taxes come from this shadowy labor force, surpassing the cost of government services received by these workers, the institute concluded."

Canadian Trump fans finally got it: ‘America First’ is ‘Canada Last’: The US president-elect has threatened tariffs and his Canadian followers are having trouble digesting that.

Easing the Biodiversity Crisis One Flowerpot at a Time

The U.S. Is Building an Early Warning System to Detect Geoengineering

Metro prepares to crack down on bus fare evasion: WMATA says new taller, tougher gates caused fare evasion on Metrorail to plummet; now it's turning its attention to Metrobus fare evaders

Reading archive 2024-12-02

What’s happening in Georgia, and why are thousands protesting?: More than 200 were arrested and dozens injured during protests after Georgia’s ruling party said it would suspend talks to join the European Union.

Women despair over Taliban rules, but many Afghan returnees don’t see it: Afghans living abroad are flocking back to visit relatives for the first time since the Taliban takeover. Severe restrictions on women are not top of mind.

Exercising to lose weight? Science says it rarely works.: A metabolism researcher dispels myths about how we burn calories and how this changes as we age.

The Great Grocery Squeeze: How a federal policy change in the 1980s created the modern food desert - "The problem of food deserts will not be solved without the rediscovery of the Robinson-Patman Act. Requiring a level pricing playing field would restore local retailers’ ability to compete. This would provide immediate relief to entrepreneurs who have recently opened grocery stores in food deserts, only to find that their inability to buy on the same terms as Walmart and Dollar General makes survival difficult. With local grocery stores back on the scene in these neighborhoods, chain supermarkets may well return, too, lured by a force far more powerful than tax breaks: competition."

Reading archive 2024-11-25

The D.C. Council banned turning right on red citywide. It won’t be enforced.: Officials say the council didn’t provide enough funding to tell residents about the ban. But the city is still barring the turns at certain intersections.

A man convicted of exposure returns to W&OD Trail to rape, police say: The man had been released from jail four days earlier, authorities said, after serving a sentence that did not take into account his full criminal history. - "The Herndon Police Department’s first documented interest in him came in 2018, reports released in response to an open-records request show."

Reading archive 2024-11-22

Labor unions prepare for battle against Trump’s federal workforce plans: A federal labor leader expects “all kinds of actions that will be punitive to federal employees and their unions,” and promises to “pursue all legal options” against Trump policies.

Bowser unveils new housing development in historic Barry Farm: Two buildings will bring 247 new units of housing to the Barry Farm neighborhood, where a promise to revitalize the community is taking shape.

For Trump inauguration, D.C. residents call for Airbnb blackout: Some residents are encouraging other hosts not to rent or to increase their prices for inauguration weekend.

How a change in rice farming unexpectedly made India’s air so much worse: No one anticipated that an initiative to save groundwater by delaying the annual rice season would aggravate northern India’s already miserable air pollution. - "Some scholars have shown how crop burning releases black carbon, a greenhouse gas even more effective than carbon dioxide at absorbing light and warming the atmosphere. Some scientists, and even the Indian government, have found that black carbon, commonly known as soot, is falling onto the glaciers of the Himalaya Mountains, heating the surface and quickening the melting."

This rare weather phenomenon is happening simultaneously in the Northwest and Northeast: First a bomb cyclone and an atmospheric river. Now a double Fujiwhara effect. What it all means.

Reading archive 2024-11-21

10 programs that could be on the ‘government efficiency’ chopping block: Vivek Ramaswamy, Elon Musk’s partner at President-elect Donald Trump’s planned spending panel, suggested defunding programs that Congress no longer authorizes. Here are some of those.

Musk, Ramaswamy vow ‘mass head-count reductions’ in U.S. government: The leaders of President-elect Donald Trump’s new DOGE panel have promised extensive cuts to federal regulation, spending and personnel.

Amid budget cuts, American University may restructure School of Education: Facing a $60 million budget shortfall, the university’s acting provost said American is poised to restructure the School of Education, prompting panic among students.

Homicide suspect to judge: ‘I don’t think anyone actually, really dies.’: A judge in Montgomery County, Md., ordered Tiffany Zhang, 29, to be transferred from jail to a state hospital.

Her son was robbed and left for dead. Two teens have been arrested.: D.C. police said a 14- and 16-year-old were arrested in connection with the death of Bryan Smith, a beloved local DJ and hairstylist.

How to get started on Bluesky, the app some X users are defecting to: Some people say they’re quitting Elon Musk’s X. For real this time.

Scientists discover unusual new bacteria in deep-sea coral: The finding points to a life form that requires few genes to function

Mysterious chemical byproduct in U.S. tap water finally identified: Scientists discover formula and structure of chlorine-related molecule and urge tests for possible toxicity.

Opinion How a progressive Democrat won in a swing state that went for Trump: Sen. Tammy Baldwin talks about her reelection victory in Wisconsin.

Opinion The GOP is setting a trap on trans rights. Sarah McBride has an answer.: The first trans member of Congress issued a response to cruelty that was a work of political artistry.

Millions may not have health coverage if subsidies return to pre-Biden level: Patients, medical providers and insurers fear a shake-up in the Affordable Care Act marketplace unless Republicans extend the subsidy expansion slated to expire next year.

Top senator calls Salt Typhoon ‘worst telecom hack in our nation’s history’: The severity of the Chinese breach highlights the need for more telecommunications regulation, lawmakers say.

Jan. 6 rioter found guilty of plotting to kill FBI agents, DOJ says: Edward Kelley had created a “kill list” of FBI agents and other federal employees who investigated his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, the Justice Department said.

RFK Jr. weighs major changes to how Medicare pays physicians: Kennedy and advisers say the system drives doctors to perform costly surgeries rather than combating chronic disease.

Police arrest man suspected in a dozen sex assaults in D.C.: Federal prosecutors described Uwana Ubom as "a serial sexual predator’ with attacks dating to 2021.

Reading archive 2024-11-20

Gays Who Lived Through Anne-Imelda Radice's Tenure as NEA "Decency Czar" Aren't Celebrating Her Gay Wedding

Bill to give D.C. control over RFK site passes key milestone in Senate: For D.C. to offer the Commanders a stadium deal in the city, Congress must act soon.

Head of elite D.C. preschool arrested on child sex charge in FBI sting: James S. Carroll of National Child Research Center is accused of instructing an online undercover officer in how to abuse a young child

Mouth taping may help with snoring and sleep apnea. Here’s how to do it.: Sealing the mouth with tape has made its way across Instagram and TikTok, and into season 7 of the popular reality show “Love is Blind.”

Opinion The truth about bike lanes: They’re not about the bikes D.C. is building miles of bike lanes, though fewer people are biking to work.

Opinion Sometimes, Donald Trump tells the truth: His agenda is ideologically confusing but, as his Cabinet nominees show, he means it this time. - "Third, we’re going to need a new way of talking about parties and ideologies, because there’s really nothing conservative about what Trump is doing. Taken together, Trump’s roster of appointees represents a government that is contemptuous of military brass, intelligence agencies and federal law enforcement; that believes America is too bellicose and should negotiate with foreign dictators; that wants to stamp out the influence of pharmaceutical and agricultural companies; and that plans to protect American industries with sweeping new tariffs. 

"Not so long ago, that’s what we would have recognized as a radical leftist agenda — the very nightmare that Ronald Reagan warned about. Perhaps it’s not surprising that both Kennedy and Gabbard were recently anti-establishment Democrats; in some ways, this iteration of Trumpism is verging much closer to Dennis Kucinich or Bernie Sanders than to the Bushes or Cheneys. Trump might, in the end, get us closer to the dreams of the leftist fringe than any Democratic leader in our lifetime."

Reading archive 2024-11-19

Opinion A Democrat shows how to deal with Musk beyond reflexive criticism: Go ahead, admit it. Elon Musk has done some amazing things. If you hate other stuff he does, say that too. - "Musk is human, and at times he’s going to make mistakes. He’s unpredictable and erratic, and he’s way too cozy with the Chinese government, even publicly pledging last year to the Chinese government that he and his companies will enhance 'core socialist values.'"

LGBTQ families rush to protect themselves from what Trump may bring: The legal paperwork that used to be popular when fewer rights were guaranteed is in demand again.

Two girls, 13 and 14, convicted of murder in beating death of disabled man: Reginald “Reggie” Brown was out for an early morning walk in Northwest Washington when he was attacked by five girls, ages 12 to 15, who had never met him.

Germany suspects sabotage after undersea internet cables are severed: The C-Lion1 cable between Finland and Germany was severed in the Baltic Sea, its operator said, after damage was reported to another cable linking Lithuania and Sweden.

Reading archive 2024-11-18

Trump allies eye overhauling Medicaid, food stamps in tax legislation: Republican leaders, looking for ways to offset the cost of lower taxes, are considering changes to safety net programs for the poor.

Inside the Republican false-flag effort to turn off Kamala Harris voters: A multipronged dark money effort by advisers to Elon Musk targeted liberals, Jews, Muslims and Black voters with ads that were not quite what they seemed. - "Muslims in Michigan began seeing pro-Israel ads this fall praising Vice President Kamala Harris for marrying a Jewish man and backing the Jewish state. Jews in Pennsylvania, meanwhile, saw ads from the same group with the opposite message: Harris wanted to stop U.S. arms shipments to Israel.

"Another group promoted “Kamala’s bold progressive agenda” to conservative-leaning Donald Trump voters, while a third filled the phones of young liberals with videos about how Harris had abandoned the progressive dream. Black voters in North Carolina were told Democrats wanted to take away their menthol cigarettes, while working-class White men in the Midwest were warned that Harris would support quotas for minorities and deny them Zyn nicotine pouches. 

"What voters had no way of knowing at the time was that all of the ads were part of a single, $45 million effort created by political advisers to Tesla founder Elon Musk who had previously worked on the presidential campaign of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), according to a presentation about the group’s efforts obtained by The Washington Post."

Why wildfires in the eastern U.S. can be more destructive than you may think: The East may not face the same threats of massive wildfires that have become an ominous hallmark of life in the West. But the risks are underestimated.

Trump Says He’ll Move Thousands of Federal Workers Out of Washington. Here’s What Happened the First Time He Tried.: The Bureau of Land Management’s headquarters moved from the capital to Colorado in 2020, causing an exodus of leadership. If elected, Trump plans to use the same tactic across more of the federal government.

A Pregnant Teenager Died After Trying to Get Care in Three Visits to Texas Emergency Rooms: It took three ER visits and 20 hours before a hospital admitted Nevaeh Crain, 18, as her condition worsened. Doctors insisted on two ultrasounds to confirm “fetal demise.” She’s one of at least two Texas women who died under the state’s abortion ban. - "Fails and Crain believed abortion was morally wrong. The teen could only support it in the context of rape or life-threatening illness, she used to tell her mother. They didn’t care whether the government banned it, just how their Christian faith guided their own actions.

...

"But when her daughter got sick, Fails expected that doctors had an obligation to do everything in their power to stave off a potentially deadly emergency, even if that meant losing Lillian. In her view, they were more concerned with checking the fetal heartbeat than attending to Crain." [ed. note: lol go septic and die, bitch]

https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2023/02/26/us/undocumented-border-officer-cec [ed. note: from 2023]

Hours after Trump win, Biden moves to limit oil drilling in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: An oil-and-gas auction is slated for the refuge’s coastal plain, which provides critical habitat for caribou, polar bears and other wildlife.

Canada sees opportunity in these mines. Alaskans see a threat.: Indigenous people, environmentalists and lawmakers of both parties fear more mining in British Columbia’s Golden Triangle could pollute Alaska’s waterways. - "In the 1950s, British Columbia’s Tulsequah Chief Mine began polluting a tributary to the salmon-rich Taku River in Alaska’s southeast with sulfuric acid and heavy metals. Decades later, the mine is still leaking; the pace of the cleanup, glacial."

Biden races to Trump-proof his climate legacy: Several agencies are working to finalize environmental rules and policies before Donald Trump’s inauguration.

With Trump win, Israeli minister calls to annex parts of West Bank: Comments Monday by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich were the strongest display yet of how Trump’s election has emboldened Israeli hard-liners. - "Giving military control to a handpicked civilian has been viewed as another step toward Smotrich’s long-running aspiration, outlined in a 2017 treatise, to achieve 'victory by settlement' and extend Israeli law over the territory — an effort analysts say would effectively convert occupation into annexation."

Musk appears to pressure Trump on Cabinet and tariffs, irking advisers: Elon Musk, the billionaire who has become Donald Trump’s “first buddy,” appeared to publicly pressure the president-elect on economic policy and a key Cabinet pick.

Trump promised mass deportations. Mexico isn’t ready.: Half of undocumented immigrants in the United States are Mexican. Here’s how Trump’s plan would harm both countries. - "Mexican officials argue they have a strong hand in dealing with Trump on immigration. Under pressure from the Biden administration, Mexico launched its own crackdown on migrants this past year. That played a key role in driving down U.S. border detentions by 78 percent since December. Now they’re even lower than they were when Trump finished his first term."

Go bags, passports, foreign assets: Preparing to be a target of Trump’s revenge: Some prominent critics of Donald Trump, and those he has vilified as “deep state” saboteurs, are taking seriously his vow of retribution.

Reading archive 2024-11-15

Gift link: How The Ivy League Broke America [a forum with several takedowns of David Brooks' Atlantic think piece]

In Northeast D.C., a rancorous post-election fight erupts — over bike lanes: On the night after the 2024 election, residents of D.C.’s Michigan Park neighborhood focused their anger on plans to revamp local roads.

Amtrak gets hundreds of millions for D.C. and Md. as Biden leaves: The money will cover only a small part of Amtrak’s $10 billion redesign plan.

Can plastic fit in the palm of your hand? Don’t recycle it.: Most small plastics don’t get recycled, and putting them in your bins could end up doing more harm than good, experts say.

Muslims who voted for Trump upset by his pro-Israel cabinet picks - "Rexhinaldo Nazarko, executive director of the American Muslim Engagement and Empowerment Network (AMEEN), says Muslim voters had hoped Trump would choose cabinet officials who work toward peace, and there was no sign of that." [lol inject it into my veins]

Reading archive 2024-11-14

Trump’s Victory and the End of the Rainbow Coalition

How the Ivy League Broke America: The meritocracy isn’t working. We need something new. - "As Markovits has noted, the academic gap between the rich and the poor is larger than the academic gap between white and Black students in the final days of Jim Crow.

...

"In some ways, we’ve just reestablished the old hierarchy rooted in wealth and social status—only the new elites possess greater hubris, because they believe that their status has been won by hard work and talent rather than by birth. The sense that they 'deserve' their success for having earned it can make them feel more entitled to the fruits of it, and less called to the spirit of noblesse oblige."

A Former Republican Strategist on Why Harris Lost: Inflation, moderation, and candidate effects

Opinion Trump’s great government purge begins: The president-elect’s plan to make the government more “efficient” is going just swell.

Trump aides explore plans to boost Musk effort by wresting control from Congress: The White House could challenge or seek to change a 1974 law that blocks presidents from choosing which programs to fund.

Georgetown bagel shop wins zoning fight. Not everyone is happy.: Despite neighborhood pushback, Call Your Mother deli can continue to serve sandwiches, a zoning board ruled.

After bribery case hearing, White asks D.C. Council to accept his reelection: Recently reelected D.C. Council member Trayon White Sr. said the council should not remove him from office before his criminal trial in January 2026.

D.C. truancy, chronic absenteeism drop to lowest levels since pandemic: Truancy in D.C.’s public schools has returned to pre-pandemic levels while chronic absenteeism is at its lowest since schools closed nearly five years ago, new data show.

Reading archive 2024-11-13

Opinion The world’s richest person is about to receive a free public education: Elon Musk vows to cut more than $2 trillion from federal spending. Wait till he runs into Washington. - "Instructed by Reagan not to 'leave any stone unturned' combating 'inefficiency,' Grace found that under every stone lurks someone like the farmer who was the father of Major Major, a character in Joseph Heller’s 1961 novel, 'Catch-22.' He was 'a God-fearing, freedom-loving, law-abiding rugged individualist who held that federal aid to anyone but farmers was creeping socialism.'"

Opinion Trump’s MAGA advisers are setting him up for failure in Ukraine: Pressuring Ukraine into a bad deal would harm Ukraine, the United States and Trump’s own legacy.

How to save money with the Inflation Reduction Act before Trump is in charge: The Trump administration could repeal tax credits for electric vehicles, heat pumps and more.

Pete Hegseth has said exactly how he will shake up the Pentagon: Trump’s nominee for defense secretary has called for a war on what he calls the ‘woke’ military, including potentially firing top brass.

Senate Republicans choose John Thune to replace Mitch McConnell as majority leader: The leadership fight, like much else, became proxy battle over fealty to Trump.

The Hegseth nomination is a multilayered Trump loyalty test: Donald Trump’s plan to bring the military to heel begins to take shape.

Opinion The right and left are talking about the military in dangerous ways: The U.S. military is busy enough. Stop dragging it into partisan politics.

Opinion Trump can keep campaign promises or be popular. Not both.: Should he go through with his radical agenda, Democrats will have a lot to work with.

The mysterious Virginia mansion allegedly bought with stolen Nigerian money: Authorities say close friends of an alleged kleptocrat bought properties with cash meant to fight Boko Haram, underscoring how the U.S. has become a money-laundering haven. - "'At a time when many American neighborhoods are experiencing affordable housing crises, it’s more important than ever to stop dirty money from being laundered and stored in our residential real estate market,' the Treasury Department’s acting undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, Bradley T. Smith, said in a statement to The Washington Post."

Reading archive 2024-11-08

Awaiting Trump, D.C. leaders balance defending city, not ‘poking the bear’: Come January the District will contend with a president who has made more threats to D.C.’s autonomy than any other chief executive in modern history. - "Although Trump did not overtake D.C. police, he still used his executive power to send the National Guard onto city streets and deployed military helicopters to fly over the city and menace demonstrators."

After election, racist texts nationwide threaten Black people with slavery: Black people in several states received racist texts, some that claimed to be affiliated with Donald Trump, ordering them to work as slaves on plantations.

Opinion  Why Trump should take credit for Biden’s economy: He shouldn’t implement his economy-crashing ideas. Just claim Biden’s economy as his own.

What Republican control of Washington could mean for D.C.: The U.S. House is D.C.'s last hope for a bastion of resistance in federal Washington.

Reading archive 2024-11-07

Your lawn could host an endangered ecosystem: In the effort to restore the Palouse Prairie, no project is too small.

Everyone’s ignoring these investors’ warnings on climate risk. You shouldn’t.: Climate change is rewriting the rules of real estate. - "The market reaction has been muted in part because governments still absorb much of the risk. Insurance premiums are often subsidized with state and federal dollars through programs like the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). Banks issue mortgages for risky homes and sell them to government-backed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, effectively transferring risk to taxpayers. Local officials balk at mapping climate risk, out of fear that it will hurt property values and lower tax revenue."

Harris defeat is a stinging verdict for the left: For Harris, who is no stranger to setbacks, the presidential election result was a devastating defeat.

Voter anger over economy boosts Trump in 2024, baffling Democrats: Exit polls reflect public frustration about the state of the economy under Democrats, who blame social media, the press and bad luck. - "Republicans have relentlessly hammered Biden and Harris over inflation, blaming the 2021 economic rescue plan approved by Democrats, and Trump turned higher prices into a core feature of his stump speech. However, virtually all rich nations were hit with far higher inflation amid a covid-induced shift in consumption patterns and Russia’s war in Ukraine, which disrupted global supply chains."

Federal workers prepare for cuts, forced relocations in Trump’s second term: Trump, in his formal campaign platform, called to redistribute workers out of the Washington area and implement large-scale cuts to the federal government.

She thought America would surprise her. Then Donald Trump won again.: When Easter Brown, 83, worked at the White House cafeteria, she couldn’t imagine she would ever get to vote for a woman to be in the Oval Office.

Jan. 6 riot defendants celebrate Trump’s election, angle for pardons: The president-elect has promised to pardon some Capitol rioters. His campaign has said he will decide which ones on a “case-by-case” basis.

Michael Fanone knows how many of you feel. He’s felt it for years. - "'We can’t say, in honesty, 'This is not who we are,'' Fanone said, gesturing his beer toward the television. 'We are violent. We are hate-filled. We are self-centered.'"