Reading archive 2024-02-29

“BETWEEN THE HAMMER AND THE ANVIL”: The Story Behind the New York Times October 7 Exposé

Teenager’s dreams cut short by fatal shooting in Northwest D.C.: Jabari Malloy, 17, was shot Sunday in an alley near Park View and Columbia Heights, according to police

D.C. Housing Authority officer shot in Navy Yard area; suspect in custody

How did life on Earth begin? The chemical puzzle just became clearer.

Reading archive 2024-02-28

How drinking coffee may lower your risk for diabetes

Over 100,000 Michigan primary votes were ‘uncommitted.’ What does that mean?

‘Dreadful’ Wonka-themed children’s event leads some guests to call police: The organizer behind ‘Willy’s Chocolate Experience’ apologized for the ‘sheer and utter disappointment’

South African city copes with climate change by chopping down trees - "More than two-thirds of South Africa’s 20,400 plant species are found nowhere else in the world, said Karen Esler, a distinguished professor of conservation at Stellenbosch University. Invasives have already driven at least seven of the Cape’s plant species extinct, and 14 percent are in immediate danger of extinction, she said, adding that if native species are lost, local ecosystems will be even more disrupted by climate change."

A simple way to get microplastics out of your water: New research found that boiling drinking water can remove up to nearly 90 percent of microplastics

How to hang art and photos to please the eye and the brain: Consider height, symmetry and balance for the most appealing result - "A more dependable rule of thumb, says Linda Kafka, founder of the Science in Design Academy in Toronto, is to hang pieces so that their centers are 56 to 60 inches above the finished floor. And if the art is going over furniture, aim to hang it eight to 10 inches from the top of the sofa or whatever piece is beneath it, she says."

Mike Johnson is again staring down a government shutdown — and his conference: The House speaker is juggling competing demands from his members while trying to strike a deal to keep the government open

Mitch McConnell to step down as Republican Senate leader in November: ‘I have many faults. Misunderstanding politics is not one of them,' McConnell said in a speech on the Senate floor Wednesday

The green revolution sweeping Sweden

Suspect in Md. toddler’s killing had been released despite ICE detainer: Montgomery County officials said Nilson Granados-Trejo was arrested last year on theft charges, which did not meet the threshold for county enforcement of ICE detainers.

Reading archive 2024-02-27

In Arizona, Biden’s handling of immigration fuels frustration among key voters: President Biden’s embrace of strict border measures has left some Democrats and independents wondering where he stands on immigration — adding to their lack of enthusiasm for a potential second term - "While many voters said they felt Biden has largely ignored immigration, his administration has taken more than 530 immigration-related executive actions in his first three years in office, outnumbering the 472 undertaken by Trump in his full term, according to the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute."

Whitmer navigates Michigan ‘minefield’ between Biden and Arab Americans: The governor’s outreach to the Arab and Muslim American communities is done privately, her allies say, and she has been in regular contact with people upset about the war and the Biden administration’s role in it

Opinion  Why an ex-congressman is living in a ‘safe house’ from Trump

Zelensky’s increasingly blunt comments about Trump

The reviled electric scooter is back. Does it deserve a second chance?

The economy is roaring. Immigration is a key reason.: Momentum in the job market picked up aggressively over the past year — all while Washington is deadlocked on a border deal - "In Dalton, Ga. — known as the 'Carpet Capital of the World' — Jan Pourquoi said the entire economy would collapse without immigrant workers. Pourquoi owns a rug company with a warehouse near the city’s railroad tracks and pays $11 an hour for jobs like cutting and sewing door and bathroom mats. He said that he doesn’t question anyone’s paperwork, and that he knows workers will reliably line up at his door looking for openings every morning."

After feds dismantle street gang, officials say crime in this DC neighborhood went down

Airman who set self on fire grew up on religious compound, had anarchist past

They renounced Trump. Will they get fellow conservatives to vote Biden?: Alyssa Farah Griffin, Cassidy Hutchinson and Sarah Matthews worked in Trump’s White House. Now they’re trying to keep him from getting back in.

Four maps explain how Sweden and Finland could alter NATO’s security

Sweden is set to join NATO: What to know about the military alliance

Vying for Commanders stadium, many Md. lawmakers will vote against RFK bill

FX’s ‘Shogun’ is what thrillers wish they were: In the glut of aimless period dramas, ‘Shogun’ keeps its poker face and hits every target

Slaying of Georgia student becomes part of U.S. immigration debate

Democratic operative admits to commissioning Biden AI robocall in New Hampshire: The incident highlights the ease and accessibility by which AI-generated technology is making its way into the 2024 campaign cycle

Reading archive 2024-02-26

How the ‘Who TF Did I Marry?’ series took over TikTok: Reesa Teesa’s story of marrying and divorcing a man she called a ‘pathological liar’ has had users on the edge of their seats

With abortion rights looming, Missouri GOP advances slanted ballot rules: The change would make amendments to the state constitution much more difficult to approve — at least for the left - "The proposal, which passed along party lines, would require amendments to receive not only a majority of the vote statewide — as is currently required — but also a majority in five of eight congressional districts."

Trump says Black voters like him more because of his indictments and mug shot: The GOP candidate tells a group of Black conservatives: ‘I’m being indicted for you, the Black population’

See the dozens of new species this deep-sea robot just discovered: Alien-looking lobsters, sponges, urchins, sea stars and sea lilies are among the creatures deep-sea explorers found off the coast of Chile

How Libs of TikTok became a powerful presence in Oklahoma schools: The owner of the far-right social media account, who sits on a state advisory panel, has drawn attention since the death of a nonbinary student near Tulsa

Opinion  Dim or disloyal? Republicans again ensnared in possible Russian plot.

Man found guilty of killing trans woman in historic hate crime verdict: A South Carolina man is the first person convicted by trial of a federal hate crime based on gender identity, federal authorities said

As Lebanon teeters on the edge, a war with Israel would be catastrophic

These giant, invasive spiders appear built to thrive in the U.S.: ‘I don’t know how happy people are going to be about it, but I think the spiders are here to stay,’ one researcher says

Alabama embryo ruling may have devastating effect on cancer patients - "'It’s the same stories that you’re hearing from lawmakers after Roe v. Wade, saying, ‘Oh, I didn’t think it would impact this or that’ … [but] they’re making decisions for others,' said Robin Watkins, 41, who underwent fertility treatments to have her twin boys."

Shane Gillis struggles in a 'Saturday Night Live' monologue that avoids the obvious - "Saturday Night Live made its reputation as a group of comedy rebels making fun of a stuffy political and media establishment, lampooning corrupt and inept politicians from Richard Nixon to Sarah Palin; in other words, punching up. 

"But today's comedy rebels see the insistence that comics lay off insulting slurs about marginalized people as the new establishment — building successful podcasts, standup tours and more on the mistaken notion that avoiding racism, sexism and homophobia is somehow shackling their free speech. Here, punching down is fair game and fairly lucrative."

Bowen Yang Deletes Instagram Post Mocking Nikki Haley ‘SNL’ Visit: The castmember's not-entirely-subtle protests, a history.

Hungary approves Sweden’s NATO bid, unblocking historic expansion

A nurse asked a friend to help her move. He later killed her, police say.: Patrina Best was beloved by her family and friends, traveling the country as a nurse with her dog, Luke

Bowser, business leaders pitch $400M plan to fix D.C.’s ailing downtown: A rise in violent crime across the city, coupled with the possible departure of the Wizards and Capitals, have added to a sense of urgency to stabilize downtown

Ex-Trump White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson says photo refutes Biden impeachment witness's claims

Reading archive 2024-02-25

National Zoo ‘in discussions’ to bring pandas back to D.C.

Here’s why China is sending pandas back to the United States

Florida surgeon general defies science amid measles outbreak

An ectopic pregnancy put her life at risk. A Texas hospital refused to treat her.: The 25-year-old woman and her mother blame the state’s abortion ban for a delay in care that doctors say put her “in extreme danger of losing her life” - "When Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022, the two had argued fiercely about what a near-total abortion ban would mean for women in the state — with Norris-De La Cruz fearing a loss of personal freedoms, and Lloyd welcoming new protections for babies who couldn’t speak up for themselves.

"Initially, Lloyd said, she thought the Texas abortion law would only affect people who decided they didn’t want to be pregnant — never imagining it could prevent women from accessing lifesaving care. Now, she said, she has completely changed her mind about abortion bans. 

"'I didn’t realize how far it had gone,” she said. “But it has happened to my life now, with my daughter.'

"'Her life has been in danger and affected by someone who was too afraid to help.'"

Netanyahu presents hard-line ‘day after’ vision for Gaza for the first time

Can tart cherries help reduce inflammation and pain?

Journalist indicted after accessing Tucker Carlson video footage: Federal prosecutors charged Tim Burke with wiretapping and conspiracy for accessing the Fox News outtakes, in a case that the journalist’s lawyers say has press freedom implications

He led an anti-gay Catholic site. Staffers say he sent them racy selfies.: At the far-right Church Militant, Michael Voris accused liberal Catholics and others he opposed of being gay until he resigned over unspecified ‘morality’ concerns. Staffers now say he had shared shirtless gym photos.

Deal to dodge government shutdown appears to stall amid GOP policy demands

Opinion  Biden gave $90 billion to red America. The thank-you went to spam. - "President Biden probably won’t be getting much thanks from the rural beneficiaries of his programs; nearly three-quarters of those in rural precincts voted for Donald Trump in 2020. Some Republican lawmakers condemned these bills as 'socialism' and even applied the label 'traitor' to those who supported the infrastructure bill. But the massive rural infusion makes good on Biden’s promise to be 'a president for everybody,' as he put it to a gathering of House Democrats this month. 'A lot of these things are happening in red states, but the Americans need help,' he said."

Reading archive 2024-02-22

How everything became a ‘psyop’ for conservative media: It’s not just Taylor Swift. Right-wing pundits are branding everything from climate change to the Hunter Biden case a ‘psyop,’ though the conspiracy-tinged phrase is losing grip on an actual definition

Recall effort targets D.C. Council member Brianne Nadeau over crime surge: Like a separate effort to recall council member Charles Allen (D-Ward 6), the effort to recall Nadeau centers on public safety concerns.

Mike Lindell must pay man $5M in ‘Prove Mike Wrong’ challenge, judge says - "Robert Zeidman, a computer forensics expert who voted for Trump twice, did just that, a federal judge in Minnesota determined Wednesday, upholding a previous ruling from a private arbitration panel. Zeidman is owed the $5 million payout plus interest, Judge John Tunheim wrote in his Wednesday ruling. The decision is the latest development in a years-long effort to claim the prize, after Zeidman found that the data was not related to the 2020 election."

What the Pentagon has learned from two years of war in Ukraine: With hundreds of thousands dead or wounded and still no end in sight, the conflict has revealed that U.S. battlefield calculations must evolve - "Taylor told the story of an Apache helicopter pilot who successfully avoided air defense systems during a simulated attack. Personnel portraying the enemy forces were unable to determine the path the helicopter took, but after examining commercially available cellphone data, they were able to map the journey of a device traveling across the desert at 120 miles per hour. It revealed where the Apache flew to evade the defenses."

The American citizens fighting and dying for Israel in the Gaza war - "The Washington Post talked to three families of U.S. citizens killed while fighting for Israel. They were united in their fierce commitment to the Jewish state, having found in their adoptive country an identity that largely transcended their American passport."

What might happen after another inauguration of Donald Trump

Why Viagra has been linked with better brain health

Another GOP Biden ‘informant.’ Another indictment and link to Russia.: It’s been the story of many of those from whom Republicans have sought information

Biden’s dog bit Secret Service agents about 24 times, new records show: One biting incident involving Commander, the presidential dog, briefly shut down White House tours due to blood on the floor

Tiny homes meant for displaced Maui fire survivors are sitting empty

Leaked files from Chinese firm show vast international hacking effort

They committed crimes when they were young. Do we owe them a second chance? A film examining three cases in D.C. makes the argument for mercy - "'These guys, we went to prison, we did multiple decades and came home,' said Downing, now 42. 'Now that you see how we are, are you telling me that we had to do multiple decades in prison to come home?'" [ed. note: he and three accomplices kidnapped a woman, put her in the trunk of her own car, used her ATM card, took her to the woods, and shot her to death when she ran. I bet they were going to rape her. So, yeah.]

Reading archive 2024-02-21

A Russian missile killed 59 Ukrainian villagers — and divided the survivors

A reporter investigated neo-Nazis. Then they came to his house in masks.: The chilling visit to Raw Story reporter Jordan Green’s home represents an increasingly common tactic by extremist groups

Stalked by Nazis: How extremists tried to stop me from reporting on their violence

How (and why) to peacefully coexist with squirrels: The case for learning to embrace one of nature’s best helpers

A ravenous black hole created the universe’s brightest object, study says

Shock, anger, confusion grip Alabama after court ruling on embryos

Biden administration cancels $1.2B in student loans with new repayment plan

Okla. nonbinary teen died after school fight amid reported bullying

Opinion  J.D. Vance goes all the way to Munich just to insult Ukraine - "Vance is thwarting the solution to the very problem he is complaining about, then pointing back to that problem to justify his real objective: abandoning Ukraine."

Opinion  Ukraine remains stronger than you might think

Opinion  Three crises that give Biden a chance to prove the doubters wrong

Second manager suspected in family’s serial Chinatown Walgreens robberies: U.S. prosecutors say manager was romantic partner of alleged ringleader of robberies that risked a shootout in one of downtown Washington’s most heavily trafficked stores

Opinion  Europe is panicking about Ukraine aid. Biden’s team should tell the truth. - "Crow traveled to Kyiv and met with Zelensky last week, along with Rep. French Hill (R-Ark.). Hill told me he is trying to educate his GOP colleagues about how the aid is spent and monitored.

"More than half of it goes back into the U.S. economy via weapons purchases or to replenish U.S. weapons stocks. European countries contribute more total financial aid than the United States and several give a higher share of their gross domestic product."

Trump and allies planning militarized mass deportations, detention camps: As president, Trump sought to use military planes and bases for deportation. Now, he and his allies are talking about a new effort that current and former officials warn could be impractical and dangerous.

How the housing industry is working to stop energy efficient homes: Home builders have used their political muscle to prevent states and cities from adopting the latest code, which would lower the climate impact of new houses - "A federal study found that North Carolina’s proposed code update would have added at most about $6,500 to the price of a newly built home, not $20,400. According to the analysis, these changes would have paid for themselves through lower power bills and, during the first year alone, reduced carbon dioxide emissions by the equivalent of taking 29,000 cars off the road."

Harvard condemns ‘flagrantly antisemitic’ cartoon posted by student groups

‘They just can’t take this kind of beating’: California mansions on the brink: Across Southern California, slope failures and ground movement after a series of storms have put homes in harm’s way

Opinion  Xi is tanking China’s economy. That’s bad for the U.S.

Tax records reveal the lucrative world of covid misinformation

Reading archive 2024-02-20

Why you should consider bunnies as your next pet: ‘It’s like having a vegan cat’

Campaign to recall D.C. Council member Charles Allen launches ground game

National Republicans Are Pumping Money Into the Push to Recall Charles Allen, Once Again Using D.C. Crime to Score Political Points: GOP staffers and lobbyists have provided nearly half of the recall campaign’s big fundraising haul in Ward 6.

VERIFY: Did DC 'Defund the Police?': DC Council claimed millions in budget cuts for 2021. But the numbers show the impact to policing may not be much. - "But when you break it down dollar for dollar, the $568 million operating budget recommended by that oversight committee was actually more than MPD’s approved operating budget the previous year, which was $559 million.

"So did DC Police's budget actually go up? Not really. 

"When DC Police’s budget went to a final vote in front of the full DC Council, the council ended up shifting management of a $23 million school security contract from DC Police to DC Public Schools. That shift did in fact leave MPD’s final approved budget number less than the year before, at $545 million."

U St. neighbors agree it’s ugly. But turn it into a high-rise? No thanks.

Bullet-riddled body found in Spain was Russian defector, Ukraine says

‘Troubled’ is a mystifying book about elite hypocrisy: Rob Henderson’s memoir argues that the upper classes support social justice causes to improve their own status at the expense of those below them - "He argues that the ostensible radicalism of his peers was actually hypocrisy born from self-interest: that privileged undergraduates want the less fortunate to be opioid-addicted obese single parents so that they can get ahead and become even wealthier by comparison."

How much dairy milk do children and adults really need?

‘World’s most harmful’ cybercriminal group disrupted in 11-nation operation

Oklahoma non-binary high schooler dies after physical altercation: The school district has been previously targeted by the far-right anti-LGBTQ+ extremist Libs of TikTok’s creator Chaya Raichik

Tech Leaders Fled San Francisco During the Pandemic. Now, They’re Coming Back.

New legislation would redefine fetuses as Kansas children

Trump allies prepare to infuse ‘Christian nationalism’ in second administration: Spearheading the effort is Russell Vought, president of The Center for Renewing America, part of a conservative consortium preparing for Trump’s return to power. - "'There’s been a tectonic shift in how the leadership of the religious right operates,' said Matthew Taylor, a scholar at the Institute for Islamic, Christian and Jewish Studies, who grew up evangelical. 'These folks aren’t as interested in democracy or working through democratic systems as in the old religious right because their theology is one of Christian warfare.'"

D.C. officials identify police officers who shot man in Southeast D.C.

Virginia labor unions come out against plan for new Caps, Wizards arena

Reading archive 2024-02-19

Anti-Trump Burnout: The Resistance Says It’s Exhausted: Bracing for yet another election against Donald Trump, America’s liberals are feeling the fatigue. “We’re kind of, like, crises-ed out,” one Democrat said.

The Taliban vowed to change Kabul. The city may be starting to change the Taliban.

Opinion  Why the U.S. should start telling the whole truth about Israeli nukes

Meet the Delaware judge who keeps foiling Elon Musk: Kathaleen McCormick’s no-nonsense rulings have earned the Tesla chief’s ire -— and the corporate law world’s respect

Biden, Trump campaign efforts in Michigan show a sharp contrast in tone: The Biden team has aimed to overcome faint enthusiasm with old-fashioned community organizing, while Trump’s comeback bid hinges on his movement’s passion for his combative pitch

Reading archive 2024-02-18

Opinion  Meet the thought police of Rockingham County, Va.

Opinion  What do ‘Latino voters’ want? The GOP thinks it knows.

The joy of the auntie-uncle trip: Taking a niece or nephew on vacation can be as much of a gift to you as it is to them

Seeing Haley’s attacks on Trump, some claim her as a member of the resistance: But the former S.C. governor rejects the label, saying her campaign ‘is not an anti-Trump movement’

What to know about Avdiivka as Russia claims control of strategic city

Study: Nonnative earthworms are all over North America, and it’s a problem

Welcome to Silicon Desert: How Biden helped boost an Arizona boomtown: Computer-chip manufacturers are building giant factories in Phoenix, helping draw more blue voters to this vital swing

Growing protests call on Netanyahu to bring Hamas hostages home

Reading archive 2024-02-17

The judgment of São Miguel: A Catholic priest, an evangelical pastor and the battle for souls in the deepest Amazon

Hefty fines, penalties will rock Trump family’s business and fortune: Facing enormous fines and strict oversight, the Trump Organization may be without a Trump leading the way for the first time ever.

Inside Ted Leonsis’s decision to move Wizards, Capitals to Virginia: After years of frustration in Chinatown and months of secret negotiations on both sides of the Potomac, an owner who once said he would never leave D.C. was lured to Alexandria

Video is said to show U.N. relief worker taking Israeli shot on Oct. 7

Trump’s anger at courts, frayed alliances could upend approach to judicial issues

How Elon Musk broke Twitter as he turned it into X: Zoë Schiffer’s ‘Extremely Hardcore’ offers inside details about the billionaire’s leadership of the social media platform

‘The Alternative’ is just the book economists should read — and won’t: Journalist Nick Romeo lays out eight examples of what we gain when we think about morality alongside money

Reading archive 2024-02-16

Caps, Wizards arena plan stripped from one version of Va. state budget

Youngkin, Republicans disavow Va. GOP message disparaging House speaker

Virginia legislators plow through bills as session reaches midpoint

Crime in Chinatown has been a focus of arena talks. It’s nearly flat.: Statistics show that crime has increased very little in the neighborhood the Capitals and Wizards want to leave - "'One of the things I lived in fear of?' Leonsis said in an interview with NBC4 News last week. 'A fan gets injured. A fan is robbed.'

"Oops, maybe he’s forgetting that the biggest story of a fan getting injured at the arena was when he allegedly assaulted a jeering Jason Hammer, who was a 20-year-old hockey fan when Leonsis grabbed him by the neck and threw him to the ground after Hammer led a mocking chant against the Caps owner in a 2004 loss to the Flyers."

More details emerge on 13-hour standoff that began with dog abuse allegations: The Humane Rescue Alliance says it removed 31 dogs from the home after a day-long standoff in Southeast Washington

American cities and American sports need each other, but the link is fraying

What Fox was talking about instead of its upended conspiracy theory

Opinion  Mike Johnson needs a cognitive test

Opinion  The Trump gravy train is about to run over the RNC. Good.

Joe Manchin announces he won’t run for president, ending months of speculation

A dead whale raises a fresh question: Should you eat lobster?: A North Atlantic right whale that washed ashore is renewing a bitter fight between whale advocates and Maine lobster fishers over how to save an ocean giant near extinction - "Purple markings on the rope around the whale indicated it came from Maine waters, according to the National Marine Fisheries Service, also called NOAA Fisheries. It is the first time a North Atlantic right whale, one of the most endangered marine mammals on Earth, was found dead while entangled in rope from the state’s famed trap pot fishery for lobster and crab.

...

"Earlier this winter, a boat hit a newborn calf off the southeastern coast, where the whales give birth. Though they show signs of healing, the deep propeller wounds across its head, mouth and lip are so severe that marine biologists worry they could be fatal. Vessel strikes are another major cause of whale mortality.

Reading archive 2024-02-15

Four killed, two critically wounded in separate shootings in D.C.: One shooting occurred inside a carry-out on North Capitol Street NE. The manager, who hid in the kitchen, described a violent scene.

Special counsel asks Supreme Court to let Trump’s D.C. trial proceed: Federal prosecutors respond to Donald Trump’s request to delay trial until after the election by seeking oral argument in March

Former FBI informant charged with lying about Biden business: Charges come amid pitched accusations from Republicans in Congress over alleged informants

The final repudiation of ‘2000 Mules’

Opinion  The day Silicon Valley rode Trump’s escalator to nowhere - "Investor Chris Sacca, who also was not invited to the meeting, likewise seemed to grasp what was happening, boiling it down beautifully. 'It’s funny, in every tech deal I’ve ever done, the photo op comes after you’ve signed the papers,' he told me. 'If Trump publicly commits to embrace science, stops threatening censorship of the internet, rejects fake news and denounces hate against our diverse employees, only then it would make sense for tech leaders to visit Trump Tower. Short of that, they are being used to legitimize a fascist.'"

Reading archive 2024-02-14

Lindsey Graham, a longtime foreign policy hawk, bows to Trump on Ukraine: The shift sends another warning sign to U.S. allies about the isolationist posture spreading within the Republican Party

Store manager charged in robberies at Chinatown Walgreens

Three D.C police officers shot; suspect barricaded in Southeast residence

Opinion  Republicans, once a noble party, fall to ignoble acts on Ukraine aid - "Putin, who has made two wagers, quickly lost the first when he failed to quickly overrun Ukraine. He might, however, win his second wager: that the United States will live down to his disdain for what he considers its decadence. Surely his contempt is partly a response to former president Donald Trump’s political durability, which Putin understands is evidence of America’s retreat from seriousness.

...

"If Putin swallows Ukraine, he will have a combat-seasoned military and a revived military industrial base to serve his undiminished revanchism. The Institute for the Study of War says this would require deploying to Eastern Europe a sizable portion of U.S. ground forces, and the stationing in Europe a large number of stealth aircraft, forcing “a terrible choice” between defending Taiwan and other Asian allies, and deterring or defeating a Russian attack on a NATO member."

Opinion  I was head of the NSA. In a world of threats, this is my biggest worry.

After border bill failure, ICE considers mass releases to close budget gap

Officials sound alarm about new Russian ‘space threat’: Russia has been experimenting with ways to disable satellites, raising concerns that classified intelligence about a new weapon could indicate a strategic threat to national security

House blocks bill to expand state and local tax deduction

Can this man run Donald Trump’s Republican Party?: Michael Whatley, North Carolina’s GOP chairman, is Trump’s pick to lead the RNC alongside daughter-in-law Lara Trump. Some activists already oppose him.

New marketing push by Ozempic and others sparks body-positive backlash: Plus-size influencers are getting paid to promote weight-loss drugs. Some call it ‘an affront’ to what was previously a ‘safe space’ for body acceptance.

As D.C. seeks fairness, a school integration plan divides Capitol Hill: A plan to merge two elementary schools has ignited a debate over who should be educated where

In Kansas City, a tragic end to Super Bowl parade shocks community

Deputy scared by an acorn hitting his cruiser opens fire in street - "Hernandez and Roberts were shooting in crossfire positions and without cover. Hernandez fired his last shots lying on his left side in the road, yelling: 'I’m hit! I’m hit!' 

"He was, in fact, not hit."

Reading archive 2024-02-13

‘It’s a bucket-list fish’: bluefin tuna are back in British seas – and so are the fishing boats

Senate passes $95 billion Ukraine, Israel aid package amid GOP divide: The measure, opposed by Trump and his Senate allies, faces uncertain prospects in the House as Ukraine struggles to repel Russia’s invasion

Opinion  The surge in immigration is a $7 trillion gift to the economy - "As CBO Director Phill Swagel wrote in a note accompanying the forecasts: As a result of these immigration-driven revisions to the size of the labor force, 'we estimate that, from 2023 to 2034, GDP will be greater by about $7 trillion and revenues will be greater by about $1 trillion than they would have been otherwise.'"

Remarks at the Presentation Ceremony for the Presidential Medal of Freedom - "It is bold men and women, yearning for freedom and opportunity, who leave their homelands and come to a new country to start their lives over. They believe in the American dream. And over and over, they make it come true for themselves, for their children, and for others. They give more than they receive. They labor and succeed. And often they are entrepreneurs. But their greatest contribution is more than economic, because they understand in a special way how glorious it is to be an American. They renew our pride and gratitude in the United States of America, the greatest, freest nation in the world -- the last, best hope of man on Earth."

Opinion  China airbrushed away its foreign minister. Why?

Opinion  Biden delivers tough love, takes historic step: Conditioning aid to Israel

Solar water heaters were cool in 1980s. They could be again.

California sea otters nearly went extinct. Now they're rescuing their coastal habitat

Grizzly Bears Are Making A Comeback: Two decades after the George W. Bush administration torpedoed grizzly restoration in the Bitterroot, the bears are returning on their own.

How D.C.’s first sobering center could ease drug and alcohol addiction: The facility, part of the District’s response to a worsening opioid epidemic, exceeded 1,000 admissions in just over three months since it opened late last year

‘The secret that tourists don’t know about’: Readers share what they love about D.C

Tesla worker killed in fiery crash may be first ‘Full Self-Driving’ fatality: Evidence suggests the advanced driver-assistance system was engaged during a fatal crash that killed recruiter Hans von Ohain in 2022 - "Though the company eventually helped cover the cost of her move back home to Ohio, Bass said, Tesla’s first communication with the family after the crash was a termination notice she found in her husband’s email."

Reading archive 2024-02-12

The meaning of one vote: An American soldier’s journey from Iraq 2007 to Election Day 2020

A great Super Bowl ending was overwhelmed by Tony Romo’s commentary

The remarkable power of holding hands with someone you love: Studies show that holding hands can reduce pain and buffer stressful experiences. But its impact on brain activity suggests something more profound is going on.

Trump says he’d disregard NATO treaty, urge Russian attacks on U.S. allies: GOP front-runner said he would encourage Russia to ‘do whatever the hell they want’ to member countries he views as not spending enough on own defense

Trump’s NATO-bashing comments rile allies, rekindle European fears: But some officials question the veracity of Trump’s claim that he threatened to encourage Russian attacks on allies who failed to pay bills

J.D. Vance’s sloppy effort to turn MAGA world against Ukraine funding

Young Israelis block aid to Gaza while IDF soldiers stand and watch - "Secretary of State Antony Blinken, visiting this month, called on Israel to ensure the passage of aid for Gaza through Kerem Shalom. But there’s no apparent effort here to stop the teens.

...

"The tactic is also about starvation. 'When a soldier is hungry, he’s not fighting so well.' 

"And the children? 'Nobody can say children are bad,' he says. But 'the children from the past were murdering and raping and kidnapping' on Oct. 7.

...

"'Dead, dead, dead Arabs,' one camper shouts at a roaring volley of outgoing fire. Then she notes the presence of a reporter. 'Hamas,' she corrects herself.

"The IDF referred questions on why the protesters were allowed to remain at the crossing to COGAT, the Defense Ministry agency that oversees Palestinian civil affairs and crossing points. COGAT did not respond to requests for comment. The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said it could not provide data on how many trucks have been disrupted at the crossing. The office does not have a presence at the border point."

Biden moving closer than ever to a breach with Netanyahu over war in Gaza: Some of Biden’s aides are urging him to publicly criticize the Israeli prime minister as casualties mount

Tucker Carlson exposed Putin’s true war motive: For Russia to own Ukraine

Virginia House panel amends arena bill to limit Youngkin’s control

Arena spats escalate between Bowser and Leonsis, Youngkin and Va. Dems

Guard shoots alleged robber at Chinatown Walgreens, a frequent target of crime: Police say the man who was wounded has targeted the store in six previous robberies

Police kill female shooter at Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church; 5-year-old injured: A boy and a 56-year-old man were wounded in the shootout with off-duty officers, police say

Would you weigh yourself before boarding a plane? This airline is trying it.

Panic mounts in Rafah over looming Israeli offensive after night strikes

Opinion  Why giving roses on Valentine’s Day — or any day — is really a bad idea - "A 2020 analysis of products sold in British grocery stores, by climate expert Mike Berners-Lee, found that a bouquet of imported flowers has a more significant impact than an 8-ounce steak raised on deforested land in Brazil and consumed in London.

...

"Consumers can help, too. Avoid roses, carnations and chrysanthemums, the three species that make up the vast majority of imported flowers. The environmental impact of a bouquet plummets when the flowers are grown locally and are in season.

...

"Instead, farmers in the United States primarily cultivate specialty flowers such as sunflowers, dahlias, zinnias and snapdragons. They are more delicate and don’t travel well over long distances.

An Overview of the Cut Flower Industry [ed. note: Utah State extension office]

Trump asks Supreme Court to keep Jan. 6 trial on hold, citing 2024 election

They fled crumbling D.C. condos three years ago. Their lives were never the same.

Reading archive 2024-02-10

Opinion  Why Washington’s sports teams should stay in Washington

Opinion  Does D.C. know what it’s getting for its anti-poverty millions?

D.C. sent $10,800 to dozens of new moms. Here’s how it changed their lives. - "'It’s an internalization of the systems that are incredibly oppressive to folks that are participating in these programs — like if they weren’t able to radically change their life in a year, it’s because it was somehow their fault,' West said. 'You will look at yourself in the end and not say, 'Wow I did these great things,' but instead say: 'I still didn’t live up to what they wanted me to be.''" [ed. note: lol at this progressive nonsense]

You may not be getting the fish you paid for. Here’s how to spot seafood fraud.

D.C.'s RFK Stadium site bill finally sees some action

Ye x Burzum Is Already the Worst Collab of 2024

Who Was “the Old Kanye,” Anyway?: It’s been 20 years since Kanye West released ‘The College Dropout,’ a landmark album littered with clues about the person he was perhaps always destined to become

Can Solar Power and Battery Tech Save the World From Climate Change?: Climate researcher Nat Bullard joins Derek to talk about some of the most promising technologies for clean energy generation - "But you don’t have to squint too hard to see the good news. U.S. and European carbon emissions have actually declined this century. The rate of global deforestation is going down. And investment in clean energy technology—particularly solar and batteries—is smashing records and changing the world."

Reading archive 2024-02-09

Biden responds angrily to special counsel report questioning his memory: President declares his memory is ‘fine’ and blasts counsel for suggesting he does not know when his son died

Proposed Caps, Wizards arena collides with transit plans for Amazon HQ2: Virginia officials wooed Amazon to Arlington by vowing to try to ‘urbanize’ a major highway. Now they want to build a sports arena farther down that road.

Service fees are roiling D.C. restaurants. Here’s what you need to know.

Election officials go on offense to prevent disruptions of 2024 vote: The efforts reflect the challenges facing American elections as Trump and his supporters continue to falsely dispute the results from 2020

Opinion  The Biden special counsel’s egregious abuse of power - "Of particular note, Ronald Reagan 'left the White House in 1989 with eight years’ worth of handwritten diaries, which he appears to have kept at his California home even though they contained Top Secret information.'

...

"As alleged in the indictment, Trump 'not only refused to return the documents for many months, but he also obstructed justice by enlisting others to destroy evidence and then to lie about it,' the report notes. 'In contrast, Mr. Biden turned in classified documents to the National Archives and the Department of Justice, consented to the search of multiple locations including his homes, sat for a voluntary interview and in other ways cooperated with the investigation.'"

Putin, in rambling interview, barely lets Tucker Carlson get a word in

The big problem with Tucker Carlson’s hyped Putin interview: It was none other than Putin himself, whom the erstwhile cable-news star somehow let ramble to the point of tedium

Luckily for Tucker Carlson, his Putin interview didn’t need to be good - "What was remarkable about the interview, really, was how clearly blinkered Carlson is. He’s not a dumb guy, but his blind spot on Putin and Russia was made very obvious over the course of the discussion. He insisted in that post-interview video snippet, for example, that he had been struck at how 'wounded' Putin seemed to have been by Russia’s treatment by the West. 

"'He’s angry because he feels like, 'Whoa, why — I thought we were going to be friends,'' Carlson said. The idea that this was a well-practiced affect from a former KGB agent, one meant to cast the West as the bad actors, does not seem to have occurred to Carlson. It’s reminiscent of George W. Bush’s declaration that he once saw into Putin’s earnest soul."

How a ghostwriter was ensnared in the Biden classified documents probe

‘Hair on fire’: Democratic worries grow over Biden memory claims: The broad conclusion among Democrats is that a dangerous and misleading caricature of the president’s performance is at risk of setting in - "'I am well-meaning, and I’m an elderly man, and I know what the hell I’m doing,' declared Biden, who was, by turns, feisty, funny and sharp. 'I’ve been president. I put this country back on its feet.'"

Famed climate scientist wins million-dollar verdict against right-wing bloggers: The verdict comes amid heightened attacks on scientists working on climate change, vaccines and other issues

Reading archive 2024-02-08

Inside the graffiti-covered L.A. skyscrapers that drew global attention

Is Taylor Swift a WAG?: And what even is a WAG now?

GOP leaders face unrest amid chaotic, bungled votes: Former president Donald Trump has used his perch as the GOP front-runner to bend Congress to his political whims

Senate votes to advance Ukraine-Israel package after border deal fails: More than a dozen Republicans joined with Democrats in 67 to 32 vote

Democrats sound alarm, take action against Biden’s third-party threats: Biden allies are increasingly worried about the potential threat posed by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Cornel West and Jill Stein

Fairfax County police to use Spider-Man-like lassos to subdue suspects

Five Red Line stations will close this summer to link Metro with Purple Line

Man charged with stealing FBI car from bureau headquarters in D.C.

Sen. Murphy calls GOP border meltdown ‘bizarre, maddening’

Special counsel report paints scathing picture of Biden’s memory: Hur’s report could reopen a line of attack that Biden’s team has tried hard to tamp down

Utah teen athlete faces threats after state official posted photos questioning her gender

Reading archive 2024-02-07

Opinion  It’s the world’s leading killer. Make it the focus of the next breakthrough. - "Hypertension, the 'silent killer,' is the deadliest but most neglected and widespread pandemic of our time, killing more than 10 million people a year worldwide. More than a third of deaths from high blood pressure occur in adults younger than 70 years old and this proportion is even higher in low-income countries."

Opinion  Republicans will never get another border security deal this good - "The element of the agreement perhaps most misunderstood among Republicans is a Border Emergency Authority that would allow the president to turn away most asylum seekers if more than 5,000 people arrive daily, measured over the course of several days, which has been the case every week but one in the past four months. This goes further than the Title 42 authorities Mr. Trump and Mr. Biden invoked during the pandemic, restricting migrants who are turned away from reapplying for a year. Practically, this authority would end the migrant caravans."

Toby Keith had stomach cancer. Symptoms can be easy to miss, doctors say.

A radical plan to save a rural oasis: Don’t pave the roads

Putin interview with Tucker Carlson shows Kremlin outreach to Trump’s GOP

D.C. Circuit considers claim of Jan. 6 jury bias ahead of Trump trial

How the world of recycling is about to be transformed: The world’s biggest builder of recycling plants says it will retrofit thousands of waste plants with AI tools to better sort recycling

Do you have a hunger habit? How to conquer mindless eating.

Does aspartame pose a health risk? Here’s what the science says.: A World Health Organization committee has named aspartame as a possible carcinogen. Health experts say the research behind the review is flawed.

Are turmeric supplements safe and good for health?: Research suggests that turmeric is an anti-inflammatory agent and an antioxidant, but its instability and poor absorption make it tough to study

Senate GOP blocks border deal; future of Ukraine, Israel aid unclear: National security spending for key U.S. allies will receive its own vote after the failure to pass border package.

Kobach, coalition demand Biden drop EPA lead pipe rule; Hays survey underway - "In Kansas, the EPA estimates 54,107 lead pipes remain while the Natural Resources Defense Council believes there are more than 160,000."

Reading archive 2024-02-06

Trump has no immunity from Jan. 6 prosecution, appeals court rules

The low-maintenance, eco-friendly lawn that will still impress your neighbors: Backyard ‘tidy wildlands’ promise to save America’s biodiversity

Pigeon accused of spying for China freed in India after 8-month detention

Republicans fear they will be targets in Trump’s ‘retribution’ campaign: The former president is already attacking those who have endorsed his GOP opponents or have crossed him in other ways - "'People took that as, 'I am going to be president and I am going to investigate you,'' said Katon Dawson, a former South Carolina GOP chairman and Haley backer, when Trump threatened to punish her donors. 'There is always a threat. If you are not for him he’s against you.'"

Opinion  The GOP dog caught the car. Again.

Mattis secretly advised Arab monarch on Yemen war, records show: U.S. officials approved the retired Marine general’s work for the UAE, then fought to conceal it from the public. The Post sued for the documents and won.

Kari Lake’s leaked recording is causing trust issues in the Arizona GOP: The Senate candidate was booed by the party faithful after a secret tape forced out the party chair. Republican officials say they assume they are being recorded when speaking with her.

A decade later, history repeats itself on immigration reform

Biden’s journey to ‘shut down’ border paved with political fault lines

Former DHS leaders: Mayorkas impeachment jeopardizes national security: The bipartisan grouping of former DHS secretaries sent a letter to the House speaker the day the House is expected to vote on the impeachment

Feral pigs and donkeys may be more salvation than scourge for ecosystems, study finds

Functional traits—not nativeness—shape the effects of large mammalian herbivores on plant communities

The school bus is disappearing. Welcome to the era of the school pickup line.

D.C. passed a bill to crack down on speeding. Here’s how it will work.

Republicans argue with GOP lawmaker after ‘no’ vote on Mayorkas impeachment

In stunning vote, House Republicans fail to impeach Secretary Mayorkas

Reading archive 2024-02-05

Opinion  Another FBI screw-up?

Special counsel questioned witnesses about 2 rooms: FBI didn't search inside Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence: Sources The FBI missed the rooms in their search for classified documents, said sources.

Still Waiting

The 91-year-old Republican suing to kick Donald Trump off the ballot: Norma Anderson, a trailblazing former GOP legislator, is among the Colorado voters who have challenged the Republican front-runner’s candidacy in a case that will be heard by the Supreme Court

Blinken arrives in Saudi Arabia amid a surge in regional violence

J.D. Vance would have upended democracy over right-wing nonsense

Virginia pitches traffic, Metro fixes for planned Caps, Wizards arena

Jay-Z tells Grammys to ‘get it right’ and give Black artists their due

MS-13 members convicted of 2019 murders in Northern Virginia

Metro is likely to avoid extreme cuts. But expect higher fares.: Planned cash infusions from D.C., Maryland and Virginia would prevent doomsday cuts proposed in December

Understanding the D.C. Council’s omnibus crime bill: An initial vote is set for Tuesday on legislation encompassing a host of past proposals to reduce violence in the city

A state pollution tax raised $2 billion. Can it survive the backlash?: Washington state’s ‘cap-and-invest’ program has generated billions to transition to clean energy. But the toll on gas prices has rattled some voters.

Border-for-Ukraine deal on life support as GOP opposition mounts: House speaker calls it ‘DEAD’ while GOP senators start to defect en masse ahead of Wednesday vote

The House GOP’s impeachment Fyre Festival

Reading archive 2024-02-04

Patty Hearst was kidnapped 50 years ago. Was she a victim or terrorist?

A Taylor Swift endorsement? It’s delicate.: Democrats are eager to catch some reflected light from the massive star. But using Swift’s support to move votes could be tricky.

When Joe Biden lost his purpose: Between his son’s death and his presidential run, Biden cast about for meaning

Senate negotiators release sweeping border and military aid bill: The $118 billion national security package is a top priority for President Biden, but faces stiff opposition from former president Donald Trump and his allies

Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce and a MAGA Meltdown: The fulminations surrounding the world’s biggest pop icon — and girlfriend of Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce — reached the stratosphere after Kansas City made it to the Super Bowl.

In Kenya, the king of the jungle faces a new challenge — ants: Researchers said big-headed ants started an “ecological chain reaction” in a Kenya conservancy, impacting lions and other animals - "Big-headed ants kill native acacia ants, which protect trees from elephants and other herbivores in Kenya — one of a few African nations with a sizable lion population — by swarming into the animals’ nostrils and biting when they try to eat the trees’ leaves, branches and bark. 

"As acacia ants have dwindled, elephants have been able to knock down and eat more whistling thorn trees. With fewer trees, lions have lost the cover they rely on to stealthily attack zebras, their primary prey."

Luxury spending, internal strife leave NRA staggering into 2024 election: Even as civil trials drain the NRA’s finances, the gun-rights movement remains a powerful force on the right

The ‘runt’ of Trump cases now likely to be his first criminal trial: A trial about 2016 hush money will be the first criminal charges to test Trump in 2024

Reading archvie 2024-02-03

A journalist goes undercover to reveal the absurdity of the art scene: In ‘Get the Picture,’ journalist Bianca Bosker paints a portrait of people who talk ‘like they were trapped in dictionaries and being forced to chew their way out’

U.S. strikes in Syria and Iraq kill dozens of militants

Rethinking Monarchs: Does the Beloved Butterfly Need Our Help?: The Eastern monarch butterfly has long been thought to be in peril, but new studies indicate that its U.S. populations are not in decline. Scientists say the biggest threat the species faces is from well-meaning people who rear the butterflies at home and release them. - "De Roode is a coauthor of a third potentially game-changing study published in the Journal of Animal Ecology in 2022. It found that there has been a significant rise in OE prevalence since the early 2000s. The researchers attribute this spike to the increased density of monarchs in places where they lay their eggs, due in large part to the mass rearing of monarchs in confined spaces, and the widespread planting in recent years of non-native milkweeds, including the tropical milkweed (Asclepias curassavica) favored by monarch admirers. This surge in parasitism, they warn, may already be impairing the species’ migration: Their research indicates that in years when the summer OE infection rate was high, the winter colony size was unexpectedly low."

How the nation’s capital became an outlier on violent crime: Republicans blame Democrats for DC’s rising violent crime. The reality is much more complicated.

The French farmers’ protests are more complex than they seem: Farmers’ frustration over French and EU regulations are a new dimension in a longstanding problem.

An officer's hope: ‘That better day is coming,' DC police veteran says

This ancient material is displacing plastics and creating a billion-dollar industry

Recording captures judge, prosecutor, undersheriff talking about killing Kansas couple

Reading archive 2024-02-02

Teen accused of making hundreds of swatting calls around the country: A 17-year-old from California is accused of targeting high schools, historically Black colleges and universities and mosques

Man charged after allegedly beheading father and posting video online

Inflation has fallen. Why are groceries still so expensive?: Ongoing supply chain disruptions, droughts, avian flu, labor shortage and more continue to keep grocery prices high - "The White House Council of Economic Advisers also found in a new report that grocery store profit margins remain higher than their pre-pandemic levels.

...

"'At the moment, Trump is looking like the better guy,' she said. 'Last time, I thought he had too many scandals. But now with inflation going on, with prices the way they are, it seems like he wants to make the economy better for people like us.' 

"And yet Donald Trump’s policies are poised to make grocery prices higher, not lower. The former president is campaigning on placing new tariffs on trillions of dollars of imports and mass deportations of undocumented immigrants, which would likely make costs significantly higher for domestic beef, chicken and dairy products. But for now at least, the politics of high grocery prices appears much more likely to be a problem for Biden."

A Palestinian posted a message on Oct. 7. Then came the death threats.

Labor market grew 353,000 in January, soaring past expectations: The unemployment rate held at 3.7 percent.

Man charged in bias-related assault on D.C. rabbi, prosecutors say: The leader of Chabad Georgetown told police he believed he was punched in the face repeatedly because he is Jewish

The death of the girlboss: Girlbosses convinced us they would change capitalism. We weren’t wrong in hoping they would.

Reading archive 2024-02-01

Biden signs executive order sanctioning West Bank settlers

Students reported her for a lesson on race. Then she taught it again.

Why Trump’s MAGA Republican movement dislikes Taylor Swift: Some conservatives are spreading baseless claims about the pop star and her Super Bowl-bound beau being a ‘psyop’ — psychological operation — meant to draw voters to the Democratic Party

Republicans’ plotting to block a Democratic president goes public

Precision equipment for Russian arms makers came from U.S.-allied Taiwan:Moscow-based importer also sought to supply a secretive Kremlin effort to mass-produce attack drones, a Post examination found

An ancient pyramid is getting a glow-up. Archaeologists are down on it.

Toronto is home to the world’s largest lake-powered cooling system. Here’s how it works.: Deep lake water cooling (DLWC) is used to cool over 100 buildings in the city. It saves enough electricity to power a town of 25,000 — and it’s so popular the city is pursuing an expansion.

Days of Darkness: How one woman escaped the conspiracy theory trap that has ensnared millions

FBI director warns that Chinese hackers are preparing to ‘wreak havoc’ on US critical infrastructure