Reading archive 2025-03-12

Gold-bar scammer gets 6.5 years in ‘national epidemic’: Maryland woman lost more than $700,000 in ruse in which people posed as government agents.

D.C. U.S. attorney targets Ukraine whistleblower Rep. Vindman: The lawyer for the twin brother of former Trump national security aide Alex Vindman blasts interim U.S. attorney Ed Martin for a “transparent” attempt at political retaliation against figures in Trump’s first impeachment.

Transition Traumas - "Perhaps driven by a fixation on achieving net-zero CO2 emissions by 2050 rather than more immediate goals within the terms of sitting politicians and corporate managers, the West has jumped ahead into technologies aimed at “hard-to-decarbonize” sectors. They did so without first coming to grips with the 70%-80% or more of the transition to renewable electricity and electrified transport that can be accomplished relatively quickly with simple Stage 1 technologies like solar, onshore wind, battery storage, proven forms of longer-term storage and EVs."

Two teens charged with murder in case of local DJ robbed and left for dead: D.C. police in November arrested two teens in connection with the death of Bryan Smith, a local DJ and hairstylist. Prosecutors upgraded their charges Monday. - "Judge James Crowell repeatedly told attorneys Monday that he would not order the release of either teen since each had prior charges at the time of the attack. The 16-year-old had at least six active cases that involved robbery or assault, a court officer said. The younger teen’s attorney pleaded not guilty to the new charges. A lawyer for the 17-year-old did not enter a plea, which is optional at this stage of the proceedings. The older teen also had a probation revocation charge filed against him, usually an indication that the teen was on probation for a previous conviction at the time of his most recent arrest.

"If found guilty, they could face a maximum sentence of commitment until the age of 21. The Washington Post typically does not identify youths charged in juvenile court."

D.C. crime scene techs covered up late arrivals nearly 700 times, report finds: Prosecutors overseeing violent crimes, including homicides, began to notify defense lawyers in D.C. Superior Court about the finding in recent weeks.

An HOA set lethal traps for Wally the beaver. Neighbors fought back.: A community in Fairfax County, Virginia, created a petition for Wally after its homeowners association said it would remove the beaver to protect a pond.

Document prepared for Kremlin outlines hard-line negotiating stance: The document, written in February by a Moscow-based think tank close to Russia’s Federal Security Service or FSB, lays out Russia’s maximalist demands

Investigation: We tried to buy American chips as a Russian defense manufacturer — and it worked: Russia’s state-owned defense holding gets American and European microchips through a vast network of Russian and Chinese suppliers.