Reading archive 2024-12-07

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

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

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

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

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

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

Why so many Americans prefer sprawl to walkable neighborhoods

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