Reading archive 2024-06-30

Opinion Even more radical than Supreme Court conservatives: The 5th Circuit: The MAGA-friendly Supreme Court is hardly the only problem with the post-Trump federal judiciary.

Opinion President Biden, be like LBJ, whose choice to bow out was hugely popular: The chaos of 1968 had nothing to do with Lyndon Johnson’s late decision not to run for reelection.

Opinion What Biden owes his country if he stays in: He needs to show he has clear strategy for undoing the damage of his debate performance.

Opinion Why Biden didn’t accept the truth that was there for all to see: If he has the strength and wisdom to step aside, the Democrats will have two months to choose another candidate. - "Biden might have considered withdrawing if Vice President Harris was more popular than he was — running 10 points ahead of him in polls, say. But Harris hasn’t gained traction as vice president, and Biden knows it. Some say Biden deliberately sidelined Harris; I think her shortcomings reflect her own political weakness. But the fact is that Biden had no obvious heir.

...

"What’s especially painful about the Biden story is that he has been in most ways a very good president. The biggest lie Trump told Thursday was his portrait of the country as a ruined mess. The economy is strong, the United States is working seamlessly with an ever-closer set of allies in Europe and Asia, and our global financial, military and intelligence dominance has rarely been clearer. Biden has been effective despite the obvious signs of stress. He has also remained a decent man. 

"That’s his valedictory, if he could accept it. I noted in September that Biden should understand that he has achieved what he described in his 2021 inaugural speech: 'When our days are through, our children and our children’s children will say of us: They gave their best, they did their duty, they healed a broken land.' Biden did just that."

Biden team works furiously to quell any Democratic revolt after debate: The president’s aides have so far prevented any prominent Democratic officeholder from publicly calling on him to step aside. But their tactics have bred some resentment.

How an aging Biden and his advisers locked in a decision to run again: In late 2022, Biden’s team signaled he’d seek reelection and quashed discussions of an alternative. Now that decision hangs over the political landscape.

Biden aides plotted debate strategy for months. Then it all collapsed.: The Biden team gambled on an early debate and prepared intensively at Camp David, but advisers could not prevent the candidate’s stumbles onstage.

Biden rallies boisterous crowd as he tries to tamp down debate concerns: “I don’t debate as well as I used to,” Biden said, his voice rising. “But ... I know how to tell the truth. I know right from wrong. I know how to do this job.”

The deep, generational skepticism that’s influencing the 2024 race: Young Americans aren’t overly pessimistic about the future — but they do perceive how the system is stacked against them.

Black men helped power Biden’s 2020 Georgia win. Some are wavering.: Trump and his allies are courting onetime Biden voters, aware that even a small shift among Black men in a state like Georgia could mean the difference between winning and losing. - "The economy is doing well by many traditional measures. The Biden campaign has pointed to record-low Black unemployment during his administration, as well as policies intended to ease household costs, like ensuring more Black Americans are covered by health insurance and capping the price of insulin at $35 a month for seniors. But pessimistic views of the economy, like those expressed by Williams and James, are widespread even as inflation has cooled — confounding economists and frustrating the Biden campaign because it appears to be a major factor in his softening support."

‘Hello from my Black job’: Dems strike back after Trump debate remark: Democratic politicians took to social media to condemn and question former president Donald Trump’s remark that undocumented immigrants are “taking Black jobs.” - "Economic data shows that Black workers have been faring exceptionally well: The Black unemployment rate remains near historic lows and wage gains are at all-time highs."

In France’s rebranded far right, flashes of antisemitism and racism persist: Ahead of French elections, vitriol and innuendo from National Rally candidates amplify doubts about how much the party of Marine Le Pen has truly evolved. - "National Rally has sought to woo voters by pledging to reduce fuel taxes and energy bills and protect French farmers. But its populist promises are targeted toward French citizens — in some cases even excluding dual nationals and 'French people of foreign origin.'

...

"There are more extreme voices in France than Le Pen’s. Yet, like Trumpism, LePénisme remains a safe harbor for anti-vaccine advocates, climate-change skeptics and Putin admirers. And as seen through social media posts and telling asides — as well as through homophobic attacks and racist tirades allegedly committed by Le Pen supporters — National Rally still provides a welcome home for vitriolic thought.

...

"While that summit was ongoing, Italy was rocked by the emergence of secret footage taken by a journalist who had infiltrated a Rome branch of the youth wing of Meloni’s party. 'We’re Mussolini’s legionaries, and we’re not scared of death,' the group was filmed chanting. The footage contained other fascist songs and slogans, with members at one point shown giving the Roman salute while yelling 'Sieg Heil!'"

Can a civics teacher persuade her students to believe in democracy?: Shannon Salter aimed to turn all the seniors in her high school civics class into voters. Her task has never been harder. - "Vanessa, 17, lived with her parents, grandparents and four siblings in a modest two-story house a short distance from downtown. Her mother and father — a nurse and long-haul truck driver — emigrated from Haiti more than two decades earlier and spoke often of moving back home." [ed. note: GOOD FUCKING LUCK]

Reading archive 2024-06-27

Virginia and Maryland in spat over Chesapeake Bay crabbing plans: Environmentalists and Maryland officials blast a vote by Virginia officials to explore winter dredging of blue crabs.

Ed Helms’s podcast explores a Washington Post scoop that rocked America: The second season of “SNAFU” covers a break-in at an FBI building and the Post reporter who covered it.

$10M offered for Russian accused in ‘WhisperGate’ malware attack on Ukraine: A federal grand jury indicted Russian national Amin Stigal this week on allegations that he conspired with the Russian military to hack Ukrainian computer systems before the war.

Inside the battle to release controversial Trump movie ‘The Apprentice’: Ex-NFL owner and Trump backer Dan Snyder is a funder of the production company that helped produce the Cannes hit, which stars Sebastian Stan and Jeremy Strong. Is the company also blocking the film’s U.S. distribution?

What state best represents America?: This week, we take a stab at identifying the most normal state in the nation and discover that, by at least one measure, it’s the state you’d least expect.

How water could be the future of fuel: A new generation of fuels could power planes and ships without warming the planet. - "The danger of using grid power for hydrogen production is that, across the United States, just like in Texas, 60 percent of that energy comes from fossil fuels. Making hydrogen from electricity that dirty is worse than simply making it from fossil fuels, according to an April 2023 analysis from Energy Innovation, a clean energy think tank.

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"A truck running on diesel made from hydrogen using only renewable electricity would create 89 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions over the course of its lifetime than a truck burning diesel made from petroleum, according to a 2022 analysis from the European nonprofit Transport & Environment."

He lived near a dam his whole life. Then floods washed his house away.: David Hruska hopes his family’s restaurant in Mankato, Minn., won’t also succumb to the flooding.

A guide to anxiety-free hosting — no dinner required: Having people over doesn’t have to mean a huge party or an elaborate dinner. Here’s how to take the stress out of getting together with friends.

Reading archive 2024-06-26

A 3-year-old voicemail goes viral, leads to emotional reunion: The motivational voicemail ended up on TikTok with 6 million views and a movement to find Tameka Rooks, the woman behind the message - "'The goal is to get you to come in and not be nervous,' Rooks said. 'It’s a lot of money [to take the exams]. So I’m just trying to push you. You might be my next doctor. I might need your help one day'"

Michael Phelps warns Congress that doping issues threaten the Olympics: Olympic legend testifies before House subcommittee in hearing spurred by revelations of Chinese swimmers’ positive tests before Tokyo Games.

Biden to pardon U.S. veterans convicted in gay-sex cases by military: Thousands of former service members involuntarily discharged under old sodomy laws will be allowed to apply for withheld benefits.

Latimer ousts ‘Squad’ member Bowman in Democratic primary in New York: The race between Bowman and county official George Latimer was contentious, with accusations of racism and antisemitism. It was the most expensive House primary in history.

D.C. Council approves money to study reparations for Black residents: The District is likely to join localities nationwide in searching for concrete ways to reckon with slavery’s generational harm.

'My Nigerian great-grandfather sold slaves': Nigerian journalist and novelist Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani writes that one of her ancestors sold slaves, but argues that he should not be judged by today's standards or values. - "Igbo slaves served as domestic servants and labourers. They were sometimes also sacrificed in religious ceremonies and buried alive with their masters to attend to them in the next world.

...

"Records from the UK's National Archives at Kew show how desperately the British struggled to end the internal trade in slaves for almost the entire duration of the colonial period. 

"They promoted legitimate trade, especially in palm produce. They introduced English currency to replace the cumbersome brass rods and cowries that merchants needed slaves to carry. They prosecuted offenders with prison sentences."

 - "We, the American dining public, are responsible for covering much of the payroll for front-of-the-house workers. It’s been this way since the Pullman Company hired many formerly enslaved Black people and paid them substandard wages, requiring them to live largely off the tips they earned catering to White travelers."

America imported tipping from Europe — and then took it too far: Our tipping obsession has exacerbated inequality.

Reading archive 2024-06-25

Israeli Supreme Court rules ultra-Orthodox must serve in the military: The decision could result in ultra-Orthodox lawmakers pulling out of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition and collapsing it.

‘Too many old people’: A rural Pa. town reckons with population loss: There is a deepening sense of fear as population loss accelerates in rural America. The decline of small-town life is expected to be a looming topic in the presidential election. - "As the presidential election approaches, many residents in this deeply Republican town say they view Trump as having a better vision for salvaging rural America, even though Biden has steered billions of dollars to initiatives that support rural America." [ed. note: then let it die, the morons]

More than 15 killed in Dagestan, Russia, as gunmen hit multiple sites: The dead included a 66-year-old Orthodox priest and over 15 police officers in what appeared to be a coordinated attack at a synagogue, church and police post.

He wanted to throw an Idaho town’s first Pride. Angry residents had other ideas.: Tom Wheeler envisioned a celebratory first Pride for rural Canyon County, Idaho. But in a state that has led the nation in passing anti-LGBTQ laws, the festival quickly sparked outcry.

Opinion New weapons will eclipse atomic bombs. Their builders ask themselves this question.: Autonomous weapons will be built. The only questions are who will build them and for what purpose. - "The engineering elite of our country rush to raise capital for video-sharing apps and social media platforms, advertising algorithms and shopping websites. They don’t hesitate to track and monetize people’s every movement online, burrowing their way into our lives. But many balk when it comes to working with the military. The rush is simply to build. Too few ask what ought to be built and why.

...

"For its part, the foreign policy establishment has repeatedly miscalculated when dealing with China, Russia and others, believing that economic integration can be sufficient to undercut their leaders’ domestic support and diminish their interest in military escalation abroad. The failure of the Davos consensus was to abandon the stick in favor of the carrot alone. Meanwhile, Xi Jinping of China and other authoritarian leaders have wielded power in a way that political leaders in the West might never understand.

...

"Our broader reluctance to proceed with the development of effective autonomous weapons systems for military use might stem from a justified skepticism of power itself. Pacifism satisfies our instinctive empathy for the powerless. It also relieves us of the need to navigate among the difficult trade-offs that the world presents. 

"Chloé Morin, a French author and former adviser to the country’s prime minister, suggested in a recent interview that we should resist the facile urge 'to divide the world into dominants and dominated, oppressors and oppressed.' It would be a mistake, and indeed a form of moral condescension, to systematically equate powerlessness with piousness. The subjugated and subjugators are equally capable of grievous sin."

We’ve been accidentally cooling the planet — and it’s about to stop: Humans’ fossil fuel burning has cooled the planet while warming it — presenting problems for the future.

Burn-off of toxics in Ohio derailment was unnecessary, NTSB investigators say: Federal agency releases final report on fiery train wreck that alarmed East Palestine and launched a national debate on rail safety.

There are better ways to protest climate change than spray painting: Stonehenge Just Stop Oil activists could take a page from the civil rights movement, experts say.

Infant death rate spiked in Texas after restrictive abortion law, study finds: The study led by Johns Hopkins University researchers after the restrictive Texas abortion law also found an increase in the rate of deaths from birth defects.

Opinion I’ve never seen Israelis as gloomy as they are today: The trauma of Oct. 7 remains, along with new worries, including the looming threat of war with Hezbollah.

Opinion The stage is being set for an American nuclear power revolution: There’s no telling how much clean energy the United States might produce.

How Biden’s promise to coal country became a warning for Democrats: A fading coal town in Pennsylvania is struggling to replace the jobs and money that the fossil fuel industry once offered.

The pope’s right-hand man is reshaping the church, becoming a target: Most Catholics have little sense of the liberal archbishop behind the Vatican’s pronouncements. But critics of the pope see Víctor Manuel Fernández as Enemy No. 2.

Reading archive 2024-06-24

The mysterious tyranny of trendy baby names

Opinion I went to trade school during law school. It left me stunned.: I believe in the untapped potential of skilled trades.

Opinion A closer look at Harris shows how effective she’s become: As the election nears, the vice president is connecting policy to lived experience.

Opinion Trump’s school vaccination policies could be a serious political liability: Democrats would be wise to blast the former president for it.

Opinion Don’t waste the Biden-Trump debate. Make them answer this question.: It’s not the elephant in the room. It’s the herd of elephants plus a barnful of braying donkeys. [ed. note: the debt]

Opinion MAGA justices already gave Trump de facto immunity — and disgraced the court: All Trump ever wanted was a delay. - "'It didn’t have to be this way: had the Republican majority on the Court not intervened at the last minute, we would already have a verdict in the case,' Podhorzer writes. 'We would also have a verdict if they had not rejected Jack Smith when he asked them to decide the same issues last December.'"

Sotomayor Issues Dire Warning on Supreme Court Ruling on Noncitizens: Justice Sonia Sotomayor dissented in the Supreme Court’s latest marriage ruling—and warned that same-sex marriage will be next on the chopping block.

Opinion Are the justices re-examining same-sex marriage?: Majority’s ruling in an immigration case could signal an appetite to revisit marriage equality.

Judge Cannon Brutally Roasted for “Partisan Prima Donna” Behavior: Donald Trump’s former ally Ty Cobb slammed the judge’s “petty” behavior.

She spent 23 years asking who killed her mom. Then her phone rang.: Lauren Preer’s mother, Leslie Preer, was killed in her house in May 2001. On Tuesday, police made an arrest.

Discarded bottle at Dulles helps solve 2001 cold case, police say: Eugene T. Gligor, charged in the decades-old homicide of Leslie J. Preer, made a brief appearance in Montgomery County, Md., court Monday.

Opinion How a long, debt-loving bipartisan consensus has warped U.S. business: Ruchir Sharma’s new book reveals the ill effects from the government’s cheap-money policies. - "Conservatives’ faith that tax cuts will pay for themselves is mirrored by progressives’ faith that their “investments” pay for themselves. The result is the same: debt."

Opinion A memorial for the lives lost to Dobbs: It’s not just the loss of life we mourn. It’s the loss of personhood.

Antidandruff shampoo may help combat some types of hair loss: Some over-the-counter and prescription antidandruff shampoos contain ketoconazole, an ingredient that may help with certain types of hair loss.

As climate change imperils Taliban’s shift from opium, impact could be felt worldwide

AI is exhausting the power grid. Tech firms are seeking a miracle solution.: As power needs of AI push emissions up and put big tech in a bind, companies put their faith in elusive — some say improbable — technologies. - "The tech giants say they buy enough wind, solar or geothermal power every time a big data center comes online to cancel out its emissions. But critics see a shell game with these contracts: The companies are operating off the same power grid as everyone else, while claiming for themselves much of the finite amount of green energy. Utilities are then backfilling those purchases with fossil fuel expansions, regulatory filings show."

Weapons of choice in China’s territorial disputes? Axes, knives, ‘jostling.’: Experts say that China’s use of simple weapons rather than firearms has been a tactical choice, but it may not always prevent escalation.

Trump campaign seeks to head off convention revolt from its right flank: Aides scrambled to foil a plot to throw the nominating process into chaos as suspicions abound about potentially disloyal delegates.

The GOP’s sudden turn away from gay rights — and acceptance: The right wing of the party has reinjected LGBTQ+ rights and issues into our political discussion in recent years. There are real signs it’s having an effect.

Meet the ‘double haters’ who could decide the election: Many voters express resignation, dismay and anger over being asked to choose between Biden and Trump again in November

Public memories. Private struggles.: With civil rights education under threat, a preservationist helps Black families save key sites in the South.

A U.S. Army veteran, deported almost 20 years ago, finds home: After President Biden took office, his administration created a program that allows deported veterans to apply to return to the United States for humanitarian reasons.

Millennials had it bad financially, but Gen Z may have it worse: Today’s young adults are spending more on housing and car insurance than millennials did. They’re also more likely to be in debt, despite higher wages and more jobs.

Va. proposed changes to African American history course, documents show: The elective course was reviewed to see if it complied with Youngkin executive order banning ‘inherently divisive concepts’

A peek inside San Francisco’s AI boom: These photos offer an intimate look at the community powering the artificial-intelligence revolution.

Reading archive 2024-06-20

Why Is Everyone on TikTok Suddenly Going to the Chiropractor?

Vermont lawmaker apologizes for repeatedly drenching colleague’s bag: A Democrat said his bag had been mysteriously soaked with water over the course of five months. A Republican from his district admitted to it this week.

A new Fox poll has Biden up. Fox’s prime-time hosts didn’t mention it.: When the new numbers did merit coverage, it was often with caveats.

Despite fentanyl crackdown, Chinese sellers are open for business: A booming online marketplace in shipping small but potent packages of the chemicals used in the production of fentanyl from China to Mexico remains largely unhindered.

Bayer lobbies Congress to help fight lawsuits tying Roundup to cancer: Republicans have repeatedly pushed a provision — drafted with Bayer’s help — that critics say would undo some nationwide pesticide protections.

In 1964, the Klan killed three young activists and shocked the nation: A Mississippi town still grapples with that violent civil rights history

Family of black belts stops attempted sex assault next door, police say: A 59-year-old grandmaster intervened with his wife and children after hearing screams near their academy, Yong-in Taekwondo, pinning the suspect for police.

Convicted serial rapist linked to Shenandoah park murders, FBI says: Authorities on Thursday named a man with a long criminal history as a suspect in the killing of two women 28 years ago at a secluded campsite in Shenandoah National Park in Virginia.

Reading archive 2024-06-19

Opinion You probably think this is our national bird. Think again.: Yes, the bald eagle appears on our Great Seal, but it has no official designation.

Iran signals a major boost in nuclear program at key site: Hundreds of new centrifuges would triple Iran’s uranium enrichment capacity at a deeply buried underground nuclear facility. - "It also is symbolically important because Fordow had ceased making enriched uranium entirely under the terms of the landmark 2015 Iran nuclear agreement. Iran resumed making the nuclear fuel there shortly after the Trump administration unilaterally withdrew from the accord in 2018."

China cultivated high-rolling crime families before turning on them: A Post investigation found that criminal networks in Myanmar enjoyed the protection of Chinese officials as well as the military government in Myanmar.

Reading archive 2024-06-18

How ruinous floods put Vermont at the forefront of the climate battle: Vermont has enacted the first state law requiring fossil fuel firms to pay for damage caused by climate change. Will it survive a near-certain legal challenge?

Trump has unveiled an agenda of his own. He just doesn’t mention it much.: Dubbed “Agenda 47,” Donald Trump’s plans should he return to the White House are documented by his campaign website.

Slowing demand growth and surging supply put global oil markets on course for major surplus this decade

What ‘boommates’ are and why you might want to join them: Thousands of baby boomers are living with intergenerational housemates — a setup that could help ease the housing crunch and cut global warming emissions. - "The housing crunch prompted Nancy, a retired professor of astronomy who lives in a Boston suburb, to open up her 1889, five-bedroom house to renters. 

"'I started renting in 2016, and never looked back,' she says, asking her last name not be used for privacy. 'Even if I had plenty of money, I don’t think I would want to live here by myself.'"

GOP pick for N.C. governor downplayed Weinstein allegations, assault by Ray Rice: Mark Robinson has spent years repeatedly questioning the veracity of women who accuse prominent men of violence.

The unbearable heaviness of thinking everything is good for Trump: Everyone knows that getting convicted of felonies is bad. But try telling that to nervous anti-Trumpers.

Closing asset loophole could add billions to tax collections, IRS says: The Treasury Department said it will enact rules to prevent certain large businesses from depreciating the same asset repeatedly.

Fauci’s memoir reveals clashes with Trump, other private moments: In one chapter titled “He loves me, he loves me not,” Fauci describes his mercurial relationship with the 45th president.

Opinion Indiana is revealing the real consequences of one-party rule: Competition, always and everywhere, fosters innovation.

Opinion All U.S. economists are communists now, says the GOP. Who knew?: Republicans are rushing to defend Trump’s bone-headed tariff threats. - "The expected costs of Trump’s recent tariff proposals would be staggering. For example, his plan for a universal 10 percent tariff coupled with a 60 percent tariff on Chinese goods would more than wipe out any savings most Americans would get from extending his 2017 income tax cuts, according to estimates from the Peterson Institute for International Economics. The bottom 80 percent of households would see a tax increase on net."

These 1,941 historic Ted Cruz emails show how Washington works: Missives offer an unvarnished view of Cruz’s professional life at the Justice Department as his political star rose amid networking, lunches and after-work gatherings.

Israel alleges journalist held hostages in Gaza, without providing evidence

The Hostages Next Door: Inside a Notable Gaza Family’s Dark Secret: To the outside world, they were a physician, a journalist. No one suspected their apartment had become a prison.

Reading archive 2024-06-17

The 2024 ‘Deciders’: Who are they and what makes them tick? Six in 10 key state voters turn out sporadically or are not firmly committed, Post-Schar poll finds.

Opinion Trump has changed what it means to be evangelical: As other denominations have dwindled since 2016, the number of evangelicals has grown.

CEO stole $2.5M from D.C. nonprofits, then posted photos of Hawaii vacation: Called a privileged “sociopath” by a judge, Graham Hauck kept stealing from D.C.-area nonprofits and trade associations whose money he managed after being warned he was being investigated.

Mike Johnson’s Intelligence Committee choices anger some GOP lawmakers: Speaker Mike Johnson named two controversial members to the House Intelligence Committee — Reps. Scott Perry and Ronny Jackson — sparking concerns about politicizing a crucial committee. He did so partially because Donald Trump wanted him to.

Republicans promise that, this time, they’ll find all the illegal voting: Before the 2020 campaign, there was a similar effort by the GOP to install “poll watchers.” They didn’t see significant fraud because there wasn’t any.

What the latest science says about Lyme disease: Up to 25 percent of people develop long-term symptoms after infection. Here’s what to do if you’re one of them.

Biden campaign launches advertising attack on ‘convicted criminal’: Trump The latest television ad signals Biden’s attempt to make Trump’s civil and criminal judgments a major contrast in the fall campaign.

D.C. traffic cameras have led to sharp decline in speeding, data shows: The city has installed 477 traffic cameras. On some roads with the devices, citations fell by more than 95 percent.

Officials tie Rachel Morin murder case to U.S. immigration policies: Victor Martinez-Hernandez, 23, remained held without bond Sunday.

An officer sexually abused a teen in his police car. How will he be punished? - "Barber’s sentence, the judge ruled, would be suspended entirely — with no time at all on home detention. He’d be on the sex offender registry for 10 years and could continue to live at home while he was on probation."

Reading archive 2024-06-16

Here’s what the Christian right wants from a second Trump term: Religious conservatives see opportunities for fresh gains after a series of victories during Trump’s first term. Rights advocates see a dangerous blurring of church and state. - "Trump has said he will create a special Justice Department task force for investigating anti-Christian discrimination cases. He has vowed to halt federal programs deemed to promote gender transition and has threatened to pull federal funding from schools that do so. He has also told evangelicals that he would enable them to wield 'power at a level that you’ve never used it before.'"

Gen Z influencers who supported Biden in 2020 turn against him The Gaza war, lack of progress on climate change and a potential TikTok ban are spawning anti-Biden content — even among former supporters.

Opinion Tesla is now Musk’s dream factory: Its shareholders approved $50 billion for its CEO and wasted a final shot at dominating the EV market.

Fed’s higher interest rates do not get all the credit for lower inflation: Improvements in supply chains and availability of labor have helped, even though the economy didn’t respond as expected to rate hikes.

This city just made it illegal to advertise SUVs. Here’s why.: Edinburgh became the latest European capital city to ban ads for aviation, SUVs and more.

Leaked documents reveal patient safety issues at Amazon’s One Medical: Patient safety issues have increased since One Medical shifted care to a call center staffed by contractors, employees say.

Opinion The Hunter Biden and Trump trials were a litmus test. Only the Bidens passed.: The president’s family rallied in support of one of their own. Trump family members were conspicuously absent.

Opinion Biden should assume the polls are right, not wrong: The president’s approval rating hovers around 38 percent, and the picture is worse in swing states.

Incoming Post editor tied to self-described ‘thief’ who claimed role in his reporting: Unpublished book drafts and other documents raise questions about Robert Winnett’s journalistic record just months before he is to assume a top newsroom role.

Opinion You have no idea how hard it is to be Donald Trump: Decapitation, electrocution and expectoration are just a few of the emerging hazards.

D.C. Council votes on 2025 budget, opening mobile sports betting market: While lawmakers made some last-minute changes, much of the budget remained intact from the council’s first vote on its budget proposal in May.

Reading archive 2024-06-15

June 14, 2024 Letter from the Mayor - "This summer, approximately 12,000 young people will earn and learn through the Mayor Marion S. Barry Summer Youth Employment Program. Thousands of kids and teens will participate in DPR sports, arts, and science camps." [ed. note: email newsletter]

Trump pledged to pardon Jan. 6 rioters. He faces pressure to name names.: The presumptive Republican presidential nominee’s campaign said he will decide pardons on a “case-by-case” basis without specifying factors.

Trump portrays rampant crime in speech at Black church in Detroit: The presumptive Republican nominee, who hopes to dent Biden’s advantage among Black voters, has often disparaged communities where many African Americans live

Meet the 24-year-old trying to solve Biden’s problems with young voters: Eve Levenson, the Biden campaign’s national youth engagement director, may have one of the hardest jobs in American politics. - "In a recent Harvard Youth Poll, a large majority of young Americans disapproved of Biden’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war, 76 percent to 18 percent. But the same poll found young people ranked 'Israel/Palestine' 15th out of 16 areas of concern.

...

"Sohali Vaddula, communications director for the group, said 'they are doing a lot more [young voter outreach] than we’ve ever seen in the past,' but she fears the campaign does not understand 'the gravitas of the situation' of young voters’ frustration over Gaza." [ed. note: and that's why no one takes young people seriously]

Philippines turns up heat over disputed sea but confronts formidable foe: A recent voyage in the South China Sea revealed the challenge as a flotilla of wooden fishing boats drew an armada of Chinese warships and coast guard vessels.

Customers love this Georgetown bagel shop. Some neighbors want it closed.: The beloved Call Your Mother bagel shop is seeking to convince a D.C. zoning board that it should be allowed to serve sandwiches.

After decades of hurdles, historic sand filtration site now a D.C. park: On Saturday, Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) will cut the ribbon to open the Reservoir Park Recreation Center at the old sand filtration site.

Red states strike deals to show controversial conservative videos in schools: Educational material from PragerU is now offered to public schools in six states. Opponents call it indoctrination and inaccurate.

Reading archive 2024-06-14

Biden, Zelensky to sign 10-year U.S.-Ukraine security deal at G-7 summit: The agreement — which Trump could undo if reelected — commits Washington to give Kyiv long-term support. Unlike NATO, it doesn’t require a U.S. military response if Ukraine is attacked.

Fetterman had speeding tickets, distracted driving episodes before car crash: One violation in March required the senator to attend a driver’s improvement course, one person said.

Russia financial system shaken after U.S. imposes new sanctions: The U.S. Treasury Department hit Russia with a raft of tough new penalties targeting the country’s financial system, prompting the Moscow exchange to hold trading of dollars and euros.

Men’s brains change when they become dads: The brain changes that men experience may support bonding and connecting with their baby, one researcher said.

Donald Trump didn’t spark our current political chaos. The ’90s did.: In ‘When the Clock Broke,’ John Ganz revisits the era of Pat Buchanan and Ross Perot to find the roots of our populist moment

D.C. man charged in day-care attack was released — then arrested again The case sparked calls to change mental health crisis care in the District and focused attention on transparency in criminal justice proceedings.

Reading archive 2024-06-12

Tesla shareholders cast votes on Elon Musk’s $50 billion pay package: A vote on Musk’s controversial pay package is set to conclude Thursday -- with major implications for the billionaire and his company.

Abused by the badge: A Washington Post investigation found hundreds of law enforcement officers in the United States have sexually exploited kids. Many avoid prison time.

Read the responses from convicted police officers and their agencie:s A Washington Post investigation found hundreds of police officers have sexually exploited kids.

Why scientists fear a second Trump term, and what they are doing about it: Several federal agencies are working to safeguard research, including climate science, from future political meddling.

The right takes a Biden-laptop victory lap around an empty arena: The issue was always whether the material was part of a foreign effort to influence the election — as had occurred four years before. - "The FBI was already investigating Hunter Biden when he dropped off his laptop for repairs in April 2019. Eventually, the bureau learned about the abandoned device and took possession of it along with a hard drive that contained some material recovered from the device. At another point, the FBI also obtained material stored by Apple, the contents of Hunter Biden’s iCloud account. That material included photos, messages and emails. 

"What the New York Post got was apparently a copy of that hard drive, made by the owner of the repair shop, John Paul Mac Isaac. He’d tipped off the FBI about the device and, as the 2020 election neared without word of any federal investigation, also contacted Trump’s attorney, Rudy Giuliani. Giuliani was the conduit to the New York Post — after pitching it to Fox News, which passed."

The one vegan food that tastes just like the real thing: Scientists finally made fake cheese taste good.

THE DROWNING SOUTH: ANATOMY OF A FLOOD: The Post installed cameras along the main road of one N.C. town to document the many ways rising seas exacerbate high-tide flooding.

Doctors couldn’t help. They turned to a shadow system of DIY medical tests.: Buoyed by regulatory vacuums, Silicon Valley is building a booming online wellness market that aims to leave the doctor’s office behind.

Reading archive 2024-06-11

The ‘bottom whisperer’ will see you now. Back there.: Proctologist Evan Goldstein has made a life — and a fancy living — off anal interventions, drawing ardent fans and curious skeptics.

In Wisconsin, Biden tries to hold on to White voters without degrees: White non-college voters are Trump’s base, but Biden seems to be hanging on to them in this Midwestern swing state

Opinion MAGA Republicans tip their hand: They’re after contraception, too: There is no doubt that the GOP is waging war on women.

Moderates quit Netanyahu’s emergency government, call for elections: The resignations do not immediately threaten Netanyahu’s coalition, but they could lead to more defections and embolden the prime minister’s many critics.

Four U.S. college educators stabbed in park in China, officials say: Four educators from Cornell College in Iowa were stabbed during a trip to Beihua University in Jilin, China, authorities said. Police said they arrested a man.

The world agreed to ban this dangerous pollutant — and it’s working: For the first time ever, researchers have detected a significant dip in atmospheric levels of hydrochlorofluorocarbons -- harmful gases that deplete the ozone layer and warm the planet.

Hamas responds to cease-fire proposal, seeks timeline for end of war: Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Hamas to accept the current proposal “without delay” during talks with Middle Eastern leaders.

Battered by far right, France’s Macron bets big on risky snap election Macron may figure that voters are angry at him, but are not truly prepared to allow a far-right prime minister to head a new French government.

Republicans pitch tax cuts for corporations, the wealthy in 2025: Trump has asked wealthy donors for donations, promising large tax breaks in return if he retakes the White House. - "Now GOP lawmakers and some of Trump’s economic advisers are considering more corporate tax breaks — which could expand the national debt by roughly $1 trillion over the next decade, according to researchers at Stanford University and MIT — arguing that they would improve the U.S.’s global competitiveness."

THE PLASTICS WE BREATHE: Every time you take a breath, you could be inhaling microplastics. - "In laboratory tests on human cells, microplastics can cause tissue damage, allergic reactions and even cell death. The chemicals in plastics — like phthalates or bisphenol A — have also been shown to cause hormonal imbalances and disrupt the reproductive system. In mice, microplastics can cause behavioral changes and reproductive problems and can inhibit learning and memory. Researchers also recently discovered that certain cancer cells spread at an accelerated rate after exposure to microplastics; they are now looking into whether microplastics could help trigger early-onset cancer."

A dispute over direction upsets plans for D.C.’s popular holiday market: The management of the market has become the focus of an intense struggle between its longtime operator and the nonprofit that co-produces the event.

Man fatally shot in possible robbery in D.C.’s Takoma neighborhood: Victim, 28, was the son of the driver for the Turkish ambassador, according to his brother.

Modi’s election setback surprises Indian Americans in the DMV: As Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s and the BJP setback became clear, reaction from Indian Americans in the DMV ran the gamut: shock, hope, worry, resignation.

In Trump’s orbit, some muse about mandatory military service: Only 1 percent of the U.S. population serves in the armed forces. Some in the former president’s camp say it’s time more young adults put “some skin in the game.”

Socialite gets 15 years to life for L.A. hit-and-run that killed 2 boys: Grossman Burn Foundation co-founder Rebecca Grossman struck Jacob Iskander, 8, and his brother Mark, 11, with her car in a Los Angeles crosswalk.

Creating a throw-away culture: How companies ingrained plastics in modern life - "However, multiple investigations, including by NPR, have shown that plastics industry representatives long knew that recycling would probably never be effective on a large scale. Officials have said they encouraged recycling to avoid regulations and ensure that demand for plastic kept growing."

Surprising U.S. economy is powering better global outlook, World Bank says: High interest rates and trade tensions pose risks to a newly upbeat forecast, though.

Smartmatic seeks to depose four Fox officials as part of 2020 lawsuit: The voting technology company will also be able to obtain communications from Fox Corp. board members

The Post at a crossroads: Existential questions in a dire season for news: Critics raise concerns about the values of a new team of executives. Meanwhile, the business woes are real. What does Jeff Bezos want?

She sex-trafficked at least 11 women, police said. Then one turned her in.: Kenika Danielle Leach, 33, was indicted on 135 charges of managing a criminal organization, “the Pussy Kat Klub,” and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking by force, threat, coercion or fraud.

What dead flowers tell us about the future of life on Earth: Amid an extinction crisis, dried plant collections capture how the world is changing. But Duke University is planning to shut down its world-renowned herbarium.

Reading archive 2024-06-10

Statues near White House vandalized during Gaza cease-fire protest: National Park Service workers power-washed sculptures in Lafayette Square that were graffitied and vandalized during a Gaza cease-fire protest on Saturday.

Opinion Is Donald Trump okay?: His story about hypothetically being electrocuted is another glimpse into a mind that is unwell.

Justice Alito talked about political divide on purported secret recordings: Recorded by a liberal filmmaker, the audio shows how hardball political tactics have landed at the court.

A home in Ohio for African immigrants with nowhere to go: Asylum seekers from the African nation of Mauritania are settling in a city drawing relatively little attention as immigration to the United States has soared.

OB/GYNs routinely experience sexual harassment, study suggests: Up to 70.9 percent of participants in the reviewed studies reported sexual harassment in the workplace.

What does Chinese repression look like? View these photos of Hong Kong

Opinion The U.S. military plans a ‘Hellscape’ to deter China from attacking Taiwan: But a top U.S. military commander for Asia says time is running out to put the plan in place. - "President Biden has repeatedly said he would send the U.S. military to defend Taiwan, although he added a new caveat in his latest interview with Time, saying, 'It would depend on the circumstances.' President Donald Trump seems less likely to intervene on Taiwan’s behalf, having told a GOP senator while in office that if China attacks, 'there isn’t a f------ thing we can do about it."

Reading archive 2024-06-08

Scientists map one of Earth’s top hazards in the Pacific Northwest: A catastrophic earthquake and tsunami will one day hit the Pacific Northwest as tectonic plates slip at the Cascadia subduction zone

Biden marks D-Day by channeling Reagan and contrasting with Trump: In visit to France to mark 80th anniversary of D-Day, President Biden promotes democracy and alliances, drawing a clear contrast with Donald Trump.

Jon Stewart Assures Young Voters That Their Voice Matters | The Daily Show

Judge Aileen Cannon tosses another curveball in the Trump cases: She’s again entertaining Trump’s arguments in an extraordinary way. But would she actually try to invalidate the special counsel?

Tens of millions of acres of cropland lie abandoned, study shows: The biggest changes took place around the Ogallala Aquifer, whose groundwater irrigates parts of numerous states, including Colorado, Texas and Wyoming. - "About 30 million acres of U.S. cropland have been abandoned since the 1980s, a new analysis suggests. The study, published in Environmental Research Letters, offers a detailed look at land with immense environmental and economic potential — land that, researchers write, was abandoned at a rate of over a million acres a year between 1986 and 2018."

Facebook post draws attention of judge in Trump’s New York case: Justice Juan Merchan’s letter flags a since-deleted online message by someone claiming to have knowledge of the verdict before it was announced. - "Merchan’s letter identified the person who posted the Facebook message only as 'Michael Anderson,' an extremely common name. Screenshots circulating online Friday purported to show the comment that Merchan disclosed. A user on the site calling themselves 'Michael Anderson,' who appeared to have the same profile picture as the account in the screenshots, said in a post Friday evening that he is 'a professional s---poster,' followed by a laughing-crying emoji. That 'Michael Anderson' is an active user in a Facebook group for Trump supporters who routinely posts anti-Biden and pro-Trump memes."

Opinion Anatomy of a D.C. carjacking: Two paths cross and an innocent life is lost: Leslie Marie Gaines appears to be another innocent victim of the city’s drug trade.

Trump loyalist pushes ‘post-Constitutional’ vision for second term: Russ Vought, the former president’s budget director, is laying the groundwork for a broad expansion of presidential powers.

For Israel, a rare day of joy amid bloodshed as 4 hostages are rescued alive: The Israeli military staged a deadly raid in central Gaza to free the hostages, carrying out attacks that killed at least 210 people, officials said.

Redaing archive 2024-06-07

Coalition calls for delay to Rock Creek golf course rebuilding plan: D.C. residents and environmental groups say the National Park Service needs to engage more with the community about the proposed overhaul. - "The Park Service says that about half of the trees marked for removal were either dead, rotting, compromised by invasive vines or creating conditions that hampered turf growth on the course." [ed. note: dead and rotting trees are an important part of the ecosystem, and invasive vines are a problem that NPS and National Links Trust have allowed to fester]

Opinion The Biden administration is the most progressive in U.S. history: Biden’s aim: minimize the market by maximizing government’s role in allocating society’s resources

Opinion How to cover an abnormal presidential race: Could the media coverage adhere closer to reality? Hard questions must be asked. - "The United States has never had an election in which: a felon runs for president; a presidential candidate lays out a detailed plan for authoritarian rule; an entire party gaslights the public (e.g., claiming the president was behind their candidate’s state prosecution; pretending they won the last election); and, prominent leaders of one party signal they will not accept an adverse outcome in the next election. Yet, the coverage of the 2024 campaign is remarkably anodyne, if not oblivious, to the unprecedented nature of this election and its implications."

Retired judge David Tatel issues a stark warning about the Supreme Court: In a memoir, the retired D.C. Circuit judge reflects on his career and the high court, regret about initially hiding his blindness, and his love for his guide dog, Vixen.

Opinion As Biden rallies the free world, Trump serves a higher cause: Himself: In Phoenix, at his first post-conviction campaign rally, Trump portrayed a dark and desperate America.

Trump plans to claim sweeping powers to cancel federal spending: In a second term, allies said the former president would look at unilateral funding cuts for the World Health Organization and green energy initiatives.

Congress weighs delaying farm bill over SNAP and climate disputes: The sweeping agriculture law hasn’t been renewed since 2018.

Has tipping gone too far? Here’s a guide on when to tip.: Many Americans have tipping fatigue, with 1 in 3 adults calling the practice “out of control” in a recent survey. But there are good reasons to leave a gratuity.

Sen. Kaine wants more career, fewer political-fundraising ambassadors: Kaine’s bill says presidents should make competence, rather than political donations, the main qualification for ambassadors.

Reading archive 2024-06-06

NYC had a plan to make it hard for cars to enter the city. Here’s why the governor blocked it.: What would have been America’s first congestion pricing experiment has been delayed by Gov. Kathy Hochul, leaving public transit in a financial hole.

Even Sean Hannity can’t get Trump to back away from wanting revenge: Somehow, nine years into the Trump era, even his most fervent media ally thinks the former president requires some mainstream polish.

Biden, world leaders and veterans mark D-Day’s 80th anniversary in France: While the U.S. president’s speech was directed at a global audience, it came against the backdrop of a fierce domestic political battle with his predecessor, Donald Trump.

Opinion More evidence of the idiocy of Vladimir Putin: The war in Ukraine has turned Russia’s biggest company into a massive money loser. - "With spigots to the West turned off and China dragging its heels, the report concluded, according to the Financial Times, that Gazprom will not return to profitability before 2035."

Opinion The Biden immigration order exposes MAGA hypocrisy: The executive order likely won’t survive legal scrutiny, but politically, it’s already doing its job.

Giant Joro spiders are invading the East Coast. Don’t worry, they’re shy.: The arachnids from East Asia are a familiar sight in parts of Georgia and are on the move. Here’s what to know.

Several Pa. House Republicans boo officers who defended Capitol on Jan. 6: Harry Dunn and Aquilino Gonell were invited to Pennsylvania’s House of Representatives — but several GOP lawmakers booed and some walked out, Democratic lawmakers said.

Senate confirms 2 D.C. Superior Court judges, filling lengthy vacancies: The U.S. Senate confirmed two magistrate judges to the D.C. court’s top ranks this week, reducing the number of lengthy judicial vacancies

Israel used U.S. munitions in deadly strike on U.N. school, experts say: Weapons experts reviewed verified video from the scene and identified the munitions fragments as U.S.-made small diameter bombs.

Reading archive 2024-06-05

Microplastics Are Everywhere. Here’s How to Avoid Eating Them.

Juror says someone left her bag with $120,000 cash and promise of more if she’ll acquit: She was serving on a case involving seven people charged with stealing more than $40 million from a program meant to feed children during the pandemic.

Why Mexico City’s thirst is causing it to sink: The demand for water in Mexico’s capital is draining its underground aquifers — and fueling some of the fastest subsidence rates in the world.

Casa Ruby founder set to plead guilty to wire fraud over pandemic funds: Ruby Corado is accused of diverting $150,000 in federal pandemic relief from her LGBTQ nonprofit to her own accounts in El Salvador and fleeing D.C. in 2022.

Alito’s account of the upside-down flag doesn’t fully add up. Here’s why.: A look at the major discrepancies in Justice Samuel Alito’s comments about controversial flags flown at his property and what he still has not fully answered.

Senate Republicans vote against making contraception a federal right: The bill was introduced by Democrats seeking to put Republicans on the spot in an election year over their unpopular positions on reproductive rights.

Biden, in France for D-Day anniversary, to stress contrast with Trump: The president will join other leaders in praising the fight against authoritarianism.

Gunman opens fire at U.S. Embassy in Lebanon and is shot by army: The gunman, who has been hospitalized, was identified as a Syrian national. No motive for the attack has been reported yet.

Opinion For The Post, a Supreme black eye: Deference to Justice Alito hands a scoop to the New York Times.

India’s low-caste voters humbled its powerful prime minister: Modi’s stunning setback in elections this week reflected the power of low-caste Hindus who rebelled against his ruling BJP.

He went viral for driving with a suspended license. The case isn’t so simple.: The case that led Corey Harris to become famous after he attended a Zoom hearing about his suspended license while driving is more complicated than it appeared. [ed. note: actually he never had a driver's license at all, just a Michigan state ID. Dude is a liar and a POS]

Would a reelected Trump prosecute his opponents? He already tried.: Trump and his allies are pretending that his recent conviction gives him moral space to target his enemies. But he tried that the first time around. - "The reality, as Mueller established and as a report from the Justice Department inspector general reinforced, was that there were numerous links between Trump’s team and Russia and that there was an obvious effort by Russia to upend the election. Durham brought charges against an attorney linked to Clinton. The attorney was acquitted. 

"Last year, the New York Times’s Charlie Savage explained that the pivot to focusing on Clinton came only after Durham was unable to uncover nefarious intent on the part of the FBI. 

"'By keeping the investigation going,” Savage wrote, 'Mr. Barr initially appeased Mr. Trump, who, as Mr. Barr recounted in his memoir, was angry about the lack of charges as the 2020 election neared.'"

Conservative attacks on birth control could threaten access: Far-right conservatives are sowing misinformation that inaccurately characterizes IUDs, emergency contraception, even birth-control pills as causing abortions - "Because hormonal IUDs and birth-control pills can thin the uterine lining, which could prevent a fertilized egg from implanting, some antiabortion activists falsely claim that the birth-control methods cause abortions. Between 30 and 70 percent of fertilized eggs never implant successfully, even without birth control, according to Belmonte’s review of medical literature."

GOP plans aggressive ‘weaponization’ investigations in wake of Trump conviction: House Speaker Mike Johnson vowed to use House oversight powers and other measures to target jurisdictions pursuing prosecutions of the former president.

Reading archive 2024-06-04

Woman charged with murder, kidnapping after carjacked vehicle crashed: Police said the woman stole an occupied SUV at the hospital entrance after the victim’s daughter stepped out to bring her mother a wheelchair.

Yellowstone bison gores 83-year-old while ‘defending its space,’ park says: The woman was lifted a foot into the air by the bison’s horns and was seriously injured, the park said. Officials have long warned tourists to stay away from bison.

Never wait in the school car line again. Here’s how.: For the first time in decades, a small but critical mass of children are riding their bikes safely to school again.

Former U.S. soldier extradited from Ukraine over ‘international crime spree’: U.S. authorities said Craig Lang and another man robbed and killed a Florida couple in 2018 while trying to fund travel to Venezuela to fight the regime there.

Netanyahu strains to keep government together amid spreading rebellions: A string of standoffs, schisms and ultimatums have brought Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s emergency war cabinet to the brink of collapse.

Indian election delivers stunning setback to Modi and his party: The BJP is still poised to form a government in coalition with allies. But this is the first time Modi has failed to win a majority over a 23-year political career.

Former Trump aides charged in Wisconsin over 2020 elector plot: Attorney Kenneth Chesebro is among three aides charged in Wisconsin. Separate cases related to Trump’s 2020 efforts have been filed in Arizona, Michigan, Nevada and Georgia.

In a first, noncitizens are voting in D.C. Here’s what it means to them.: More than 500 noncitizen District residents have registered to vote, according to the D.C. Board of Elections.

Lawmakers expensed millions in 2023 under new program that doesn’t require receipts: Critics say the program’s lack of transparency and record-keeping opens it up to abuse. - "'I wish members would give themselves a raise that they probably deserve and then we’d all move on,' said a staffer involved with congressional accounting, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the program publicly. 'But they don’t have the backbone to do that, so [they gave] members a raise through this backdoor way that allows for abuse because there is no record keeping and there’s no receipts.'"

Opinion The Pentagon is learning how to change at the speed of war: The dynamic Ukraine battlespace has provided a needed jolt to a system that has long been too slow to change.

Reading archive 2024-06-03

Billions in taxpayer dollars now go to religious schools via vouchers: The rapid expansion of state voucher programs follows court decisions that have eroded the separation between church and state. - "Voucher programs, which vary in their details, have grown particularly large in a half-dozen states. In each of these, participating families have overwhelmingly chosen religious schools, sometimes using the subsidy for schools their children were already attending before the programs began.

...

"To critics, the burgeoning number of taxpayer-financed religious students adds up to an unwelcome mingling of government and religion, and a drain on dollars that could support public schools, which unlike private schools are required to serve all students. That occurs both when public school students use vouchers to attend private schools — meaning their public schools lose per-pupil funding — and when the state spends large amounts of money on students whose families would otherwise pay private school tuition themselves."

Opinion Democrats must defend Trump’s guilty verdict against MAGA jury denial: The danger of delegitimizing jury verdicts is real.

Curious about a poop transplant? So are many of my patients.: At my clinic, people often ask me if fecal microbiota transplants can cure their gut health issues. Here’s what to know about the treatment.

OMG your hair looks so cute! Young Chinese love American ‘praise culture.’: Even as China cools on the United States’ fashion and entertainment trends, one aspect of American life is sparking admiration: American “praise culture.”

Biden’s science adviser explains the new hard line on China: Arati Prabhakar, director of the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy, discusses Washington’s newly tough consensus on China.

Russia co-opts far-right politicians in Europe with cash, officials say: A Kremlin-backed media outlet — the Prague-based Voice of Europe — funneled hundreds of thousands of euros to far-right politicians, officials say.

Child shot self after finding loaded ghost gun under bed, police say: Prince George’s County Police have arrested and charged a child’s relative with multiple gun offenses after the child found the gun while playing hide-and-seek.

Bitcoin billionaire, firm to settle D.C. tax fraud suit for $40 million: The D.C. attorney general says the settlement with Michael Saylor and MicroStrategy marks the largest income tax recovery in city history.

Reading archive 2024-06-02

Maryland diner turns leftover bacon grease into soap to save money: Sam Delauter makes his great-grandmother’s Great Depression soap recipe using bacon grease from his diner that he used to throw away

Basic training in Ukraine is barely covering the basics, commanders say: Ukrainian commanders in the field say they are bracing for most of the new troops under a new conscription law to arrive with poor training.

Why restaurants are so loud, and what science says we can do about it

Opinion How an outrageous smear of U.S. troops wound up in history books: Remarkably, the propaganda has come into academic vogue on both sides of the Pacific.

Biden’s cease-fire plan tightens political squeeze for Netanyahu in Israel: Hostage families are calling for an immediate cease-fire deal, while far-right Israeli politicians are threatening to collapse Netanyahu’s government if it’s accepted.

Reading archive 2024-06-01

The elite ancient Greek fighting force made up entirely of gay couples: As Pride Month kicks off, the story of how the Sacred Band of Thebes defeated Sparta and changed history. - "Excavation of a mass grave on the battlefield at Chaeronea uncovered the bodies of 254 soldiers believed to be the band’s war dead. Amid the broken bones and fractured skulls, some pairs of skeletons lay linked arm in arm, a tribute to a love that outlasted death."

In a swing county, Trump’s faithful are angry. But they believe he’ll get even.: In Saginaw County, Mich., Democrats worry — and Republicans boast — that even 34 felony convictions won’t stop the former president from retaking the White House.

Investors, worried they can’t beat lawmakers in stock market, copy them instead: A loose alliance of investors, analysts and advocates is trying to let Americans mimic the trades elected officials make — but only after they disclose them. - "The penalties for those who violate the law are minimal: Members who are late to disclose stock activity, or sales and purchases of cryptocurrencies, generally face a $200 fine prescribed by the Stock Act. Rep. Pat Fallon (R-Tex.), who failed to disclose 122 transactions valued between $9 million and $21 million in 2021 in a timely manner, paid $600 in late filing fees and corrected the record though he refused to cooperate with the review conducted by the Office of Congressional Ethics.

...

"The Senate Ethics Committee has not issued a disciplinary sanction against a senator in over 15 years, even after a stock-trading scandal roiled the upper chamber. Sens. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), James M. Inhofe (R-Okla.) and Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) came under scrutiny at the start of 2020 after they dumped vast stock holdings ahead of the coronavirus-induced market plunge. Neither the Senate Ethics Committee nor the Justice Department, whose investigators launched probes into the stock sales, pursued charges."

The Great Honeybee Fallacy: For years, people have understood them to be at imminent risk of extinction, despite evidence to the contrary. Why? - "A true truth about the bees: The modal American honeybee is, essentially, a farm animal—part of a $200-billion-a-year industry that’s regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and is as sophisticated and professionalized as any other segment of the sprawling system that gets food on our plates. The nation’s largest beekeeping operation, Adee Honey Farms, has more than 80,000 colonies, facilities in five states, and nearly 100 employees. Its bees, and those at other large-scale apiaries, do produce honey, but more and more, the real money is in what the industry calls “pollination services”: the renting-out of bees to fertilize the farms of Big Ag, which have seen their indigenous pollinators decline with urbanization and industrialization."

Lawns Draw Scorn, but Some See Room for Compromise: Conventional turf lawns have come under attack. Landscape designers are using water-wise and native plants to balance green with “green.”