Reading archive 2024-08-26

Opinion Justice Gorsuch’s book of fish tales: A new book by the Supreme Court conservative raises the question: Does having all the facts matter?

Elon Musk’s X reveals investors in court filing: A court filing obtained by The Post lists which firms and individuals have a financial stake in the platform.

Canadian government ends major railway stoppage, ordering arbitration: Canada’s two largest railroads shut down early Thursday, jeopardizing deliveries of crucial supplies to the United States.

Where mosquito season is getting longer

Trump takes it upon himself to decide who is a proper Jew: In an interview and a late-night social media post, the former president railed against and disparaged Jewish Democrats, largely for being anti-Trump.

A close race brings fresh fears of election interference by Trump allies: The euphoric mood at the Democratic National Convention this week came alongside growing concern that the former president’s backers could attempt to undermine the results. - "The new certification rule in Georgia may be only the beginning. The majority has proposed 11 additional rules that will come up for approval close to the state’s Oct. 14 early-voting start date. Among the proposals is one requiring a hand-count of ballots in precincts to make sure the number of votes recorded equals the number of ballots. It’s a task that voting machines already do."

Some Giant stores in D.C. are banning unaccompanied minors after 6 p.m.: The grocery chain’s new policy also modifies a previous effort to prohibit customers with large bags.

Traffic fatalities have doubled since D.C.’s promise of zero: Thirty-three people have lost their lives in traffic crashes this year.

Indian Americans conflicted about Kamala Harris pose campaign challenge: In an immigrant community stratified by religion, language and class, Kamala Harris’s background is embraced by some but rings hollow for others.

DeSantis in middle of Florida feud pitting marijuana against hemp: Voters in Florida will soon decide whether to legalize recreational marijuana. DeSantis is against it and getting support from an unlikely ally: the hemp industry.

Tim Walz’s upbringing in rural Nebraska seemed idyllic. Then came tragedy.: Uprooted from a small city, Walz and his family moved to a remote town of a few hundred to deal with his father’s cancer.

Opinion A big problem for young workers: 70- and 80-year-olds who won’t retire: With five generations in the workforce, it’s harder for beginners to get hired or promoted.

Opinion Ukraine’s Kursk offensive isn’t just a raid. It’s upending assumptions.: Russia, stunned by the incursion, has been slow to respond, while Ukraine gains battlefield maneuverability.

Opinion Sam Bankman-Fried, a personal verdict: A few thoughts on how Americans thought about the crypto trial of the century. - "When confronted by older experts in some complicated field in which he had zero experience, Sam’s first step was always to doubt the value of their advice and think about the complicated field on his own."

Environmental group calls for RFK Jr. to be investigated for reportedly sawing off whale head: In a resurfaced 2012 interview, his daughter shared he had once used a chain saw to cut off a dead whale’s head to bring it home, reportedly to study.

Trump vowed to release all remaining JFK files. What could they contain?: Despite their differences about what they suspect happened on Nov. 22, 1963, in Dallas, two prominent researchers agree the remaining files should be released. - "When he was president in 2017, Trump announced that he planned to publicly disclose the remaining documents but ultimately delayed the release of some files for national security reasons, saying they would be released by October 2021. In 2018, Trump authorized the disclosure of 19,045 documents, many of which contained redactions."

Ukraine keeps crossing Russia’s red lines. Putin keeps blinking.: Ukraine’s punch through Russian defenses in the first foreign invasion since World War II has laid bare Moscow’s apparently illusory red lines.

How a gay beach oasis flourished in Michigan’s Bible Belt: Gay artists, club owners and nude bathers have found a safe haven in Saugatuck and Douglas since the 1890s.

Public service, secret payments: FBI says Trayon White had two sides: On days FBI says he took bribes, D.C. Council member Trayon White Sr. (D-Ward 8) took to social media and posted about serving constituents.

The balloon drop at the DNC had more meaning than you might know: More than 50 balloon artists volunteered to make the display in honor of their colleague who is fighting cancer.

Australia offers U.S. a vast new military launchpad in China conflict: Australia is expanding its northern military bases, with U.S. support, to counter China's growing threat. Critics quip it’s become the “51st state.”

RFK Jr. suspends his campaign — with an appropriately bizarre theory: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. insisted he can somehow still be elected president. Let’s count the holes in his reasoning.

Trump allies try to energize him as he struggles to adapt to Harris: The Republican nominee has fixated on Biden’s withdrawal: “It feels like he’s lost his mojo.”

Trump suggests he might skip ABC debate with Harris: The Sept. 10 debate with ABC is the only one both campaigns have agreed to do with one of the major networks.

Endangered lynx makes its first appearance in Vermont in years: Wildlife officials said it was the first confirmed Canada lynx sighting in the state since 2018.

The fact-vs.-fiction election: The alliance of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Donald Trump makes sense from an epistemological standpoint, if not a policy one. - "Because, at the end of the day, Trump and Kennedy are aligned on the most fundamental aspect of their politics: that what you believe is more important than what is. That they are right and that the people saying they’re wrong are wrong.

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"This reflects the through-line between him and Trump: that there is no expertise or authority that should be given deference over what you want or believe to be true. That scientists and military experts and researchers have opinions that can sit alongside your own. Or, in many cases, have opinions that are inferior to your own, since they are part of informational systems that are inherently untrustworthy by virtue of including those experts."

Scientists may have found a radical solution for making your hamburger less bad for the planet: Researchers in California are working to genetically engineer the cow microbiome -- and in the process, eliminate methane emissions. - "Such a probiotic could also improve a farm’s productivity. Cows can lose up to 12 percent of their energy through burping up methane; other ruminants, like sheep and goats, also lose energy in this way. “If there is a way to redirect that hydrogen and convert it into milk, meat, wool — it would be much more accepted by farmers,” Kebreab said."