Reading archive 2026-02-05

Washington Post Lays Off More Than 300 Journalists: The layoffs cut into The Post’s local, international and sports coverage, and reduced its entire work force by about 30 percent. - "Much of [Weill Lewis's] tenure has been tumultuous, including a shake-up of newsroom leadership and scrutiny of his ties to a phone-hacking scandal while he worked for News Corp. Just before the 2024 presidential election, Mr. Lewis announced a new policy from Mr. Bezos ending presidential endorsements by The Post’s editorial board, which blocked a drafted endorsement of the Democratic candidate, Vice President Kamala Harris. Hundreds of thousands of Post subscribers canceled their subscriptions in response. 

"In a staff meeting in 2024, Mr. Lewis warned that The Post was in trouble. 'We are losing large amounts of money,' he said. 'Your audience has halved in recent years. People are not reading your stuff.'"

House rejects D.C. tax changes, potentially costing the city $600M in revenue: If passed by the Senate, the measure could lead to a months-long suspension of the city’s tax filing system.

No, Billie Eilish, Americans are not thieves on stolen land: Civilization depends on secure property titles, not sincere apologies. - "It is easy to call land stolen, but what about the innocent purchasers who acquired in good faith in the interim? Are they thieves? Is Eilish a thief because, as the Tongva tribe recently asserted, her $3 million mansion in Los Angeles sits on its ancestral homeland?"

What to know about the rare condition Catherine O’Hara had: The late actor and comedian was born with a condition called situs inversus. Here’s what that means.

As West goes after Russia’s oil fleet, Moscow fears for its war funding: New European measures to crack down on Russia’s shadow fleet could severely hurt its economy at a time when it is looking increasingly vulnerable.

Democrats have an early front-runner: Gavin Newsom’s bet on joyful combat and coiffed charisma is paying dividends.

Gavin Newsom is very similar to Kamala Harris: Two San Francisco local elected officials who successfully ran statewide in CA - "My point, though, is that going from holding statewide office in California to running in a national election is not like the A.F.C. champion going to the Super Bowl. 

"It is hard to win these jobs, and getting them involves a real display of political skill. But that skill is not beating Republicans in elections. It’s catering to Democratic Party insiders and affiliated advocacy groups and generating media buzz and endorsements. And this environment is a bad training ground for developing politicians who are good at beating the opposition party. It’s as if you took the winning team from the Champions League and then sent those players to the N.B.A. Finals on the theory that they’re top-notch athletes. You’re selecting on the wrong thing. And it shows."

Our 2024 Wins Above Replacement (WAR) Models: The races where fundamentals pointed to one outcome, but candidate quality led to another

He lost a pinkie trying to kill a man. From prison, he made things worse.: A case in Maryland involving a former high school wrestling star challenged a judge with a difficult question: Who deserves mercy?

Why this vegan environmentalist thinks meat is the future: A new book argues that people will never give up meat — and that plant-based and lab-grown meat will be the “next agricultural revolution.”

D.C.’s largest office-to-residential conversion is officially underway: A former office in Dupont Circle will become a 15-story, 532-unit apartment building, the kind of transformation that D.C. officials see as key to downtown’s future.

On Greenland, Europe stood up, Trump blinked, and the E.U. learned a lesson: For some in the often fractured E.U., Trump’s retreat on the Arctic territory proves that retaliation — not conciliation — is the answer to his hardball tactics.

ICE surge creates new headache for Maine’s Susan Collins: The most vulnerable Republican in the Senate would not say whether she supported the federal enforcement effort.

On a paradise island in the Pacific, meth and HIV epidemics rage: International criminal syndicates have been using Fiji as a transshipment point for drugs originating in Southeast Asia and Latin America. - "Law enforcement officials, customs agencies, U.N. officials and others who investigate drug syndicates believe that the groups operating in and around Fiji are working with each other, bringing together Chinese triads, Mexican cartels, Australian biker gangs and other syndicates with connections as far away as Nigeria."

Reading archive 2026-01-22

Jasmine Crockett is daring Democrats to rethink electability. Some aren’t sold. ‘I get that I’m not a traditional candidate. And that’s exactly why I’m going to win,’ the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Texas said.

How to bike safely through the dark winter months: Buy lights, wear reflective clothing and pay attention to your tires while riding in the cold, experts say

This obsession has held Iran back for a half-century: Time and again, idealism untethered from reality has brought ruin to Iran.

The Five Farcical Principles of the ‘CBS Evening News’: Tony Dokoupil and Bari Weiss’s new broadcast has been one debacle after another. Let’s try to make sense of it all, with or without whiskey. - "[Bari Weiss] isn’t a conservative! She just independently thinks her way to conservative conclusions over and over again. If you’re a rich white man convinced that pronouns and trans athletes are the greatest threats facing America today, Weiss is there to assure you not just that you’re right, but also that your bile is proof of your intellectual fearlessness."

‘Blood in the water’: Bari Weiss’s chaotic first three months in charge of CBS News: Weiss is embroiled in her first major controversy as editor in chief as her handpicked anchor takes evening news show

Inside Tony Dokoupil’s chaotic first week as the CBS Evening News anchor

The Old World Order is Dead Unipolarity was given, not taken - "A quieter camp pointed out that the United States was generally doing a lot—not all it could, but a lot—to make its leadership attractive to the other major powers: providing security, yes, but also shouldering a good share of global burdens in many fields while also linking its economy and society to the rest of the world. This approach, a few observers noted, managed to satisfy the range of potential powers who could actually undermine the United States and its order. One prominent theory noted that since the Second World War, the United States had engaged in practices of self-binding—generally asking for less than it could have taken and giving more than it needed to in order to make its leadership more attractive to others than the alternatives open to its rivals. For this group, there was an ongoing process of ratifying the U.S.-led order that relied on Washington realizing that its power conferred influence but its right to rule relied on the acquiescence of (most) other leading powers.

...

"The unipolar world, what was left of it, has died—of suicide, not murder. As I wrote several years ago, 'the most successful blow to American primacy came not from external balancing, as realists long predicted, but from the free choice of American voters.' Twice, now, in fact."

A New Memoir Blasts Kamala Harris for Being Offensive, Ideologically Obsessed: Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro discusses the strange questions he received during his vice-presidential vetting.

The Great Crime Decline Is Happening: All Across the Country Even cities with understaffed police departments have made record gains. - "But only one theory can match the decline in its scope and scale: that the massive, post-pandemic investment in local governments deployed during the Biden administration, particularly through the American Rescue Plan Act, delivered a huge boost to the infrastructure and services of American communities-including those that suffered most from violent crime. That spending may be responsible for our current pax urbana."

Reading archive 2025-12-18

The lasting impact of Trump’s federal surge on one D.C. neighborhood

Why U.S. and Chinese satellites are ‘dogfighting’ in orbit

Dan Bongino announces he is leaving FBI deputy director job in January: Bongino told colleagues more than a week ago that he would not be returning to Washington headquarters this year, according to people familiar with the matter.

Jack Smith defends his cases against Trump during hours-long deposition: Former special counsel Jack Smith was giving a closed-door deposition to the House Judiciary Committee. He had asked to testify in public.

Fast, harsh, alone: Trump beams into prime time with uncertain results: Supporters said they’d never seen Trump like this before and wondered if he’d achieved his purpose of assuaging concerns about the economy.

The Most Scathing Book Reviews of 2025 "Historians will study how bad this book is."

What I’ve learned by mapping the impacts of NIH cuts: The effects have been widespread but could have been worse — and may yet be - "NIH-funded research contributed to more than 99% of FDA-approved drugs between 2010 and 2019."

The Worsening Geopolitics of Water in the Middle East

Iran president says capital move now a necessity as water crisis deepens

Rare sight of mother polar bear adopting a cub captured by camera: A polar bear mother was seen with one cub in the spring — but by fall she had adopted a second, according to Canadian researchers.

Democrats will not release the autopsy of their 2024 loss: Party leaders hope to avoid contentious fights over the party’s failing as it attempts to reboot for the 2026 midterms.

Reading archive 2025-09-23 pt 2

Democrats think they can win a government shutdown. That's a lousy bet.: While there are reasonable arguments for a shutdown, it’s a fight Democrats would most likely lose.

Why Democrats are making Obamacare central to their shutdown strategy: Democratic leaders have given Republicans an ultimatum on support for federal funding to avoid a government shutdown.

Trump’s tariffs, deportations and climate change are making groceries more expensive

World’s first AI-designed viruses a step towards AI-generated life: Scientists used artificial intelligence to write coherent viral genomes, using them to synthesize bacteriophages capable of killing resistant strains of bacteria.

Black Christians confront Charlie Kirk’s religious legacy: Conservative evangelicals’ embrace of Charlie Kirk’s legacy is forcing some Black Christians to reconcile the activist’s divisive comments on race with the Christian values of tolerance and empathy.

Why Democrats are holding firm on conditions ahead of shutdown: The minority party is using its limited leverage, hoping to convince Americans that GOP spending priorities are the real danger.

The chilling reason the military is silent now: This is what happens when you purge the JAGs.

Harris book draws blowback from Shapiro, Buttigieg. Here’s what’s in it.: The same people criticizing what she said about them in her new book about the 2024 campaign could be among those she faces in 2028 if she runs again.

Man charged with hate crime in killing of trans woman in D.C.: Edgar Arrington, 38, was arrested in North Carolina last week in connection with the killing of a 28-year-old transgender woman. - "A tipster told investigators the shooter had tried to 'holler' at Johnson, then became enraged upon learning she was transgender, court records show. One witness recalled overhearing someone telling Johnson “no disrespect but you are a male” in the moments before her death, while another said the gunman hurled homophobic slurs at Johnson before shooting her."

D.C. changes tenant laws to spur investment in affordable housing: The D.C. Council passed a law tightening eviction laws and overhauling the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act, all intended to attract housing investment.

Senators call on Congress to roll back flights at National Airport: Citing Washington Post reporting, Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine say cutting the number of flights could reduce safety risks.

Eleanor Holmes Norton faces mounting pressure to retire: Donna Brazile, a veteran political strategist and close confidante of D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, joined a growing chorus calling on the 88-year-old not to seek another term in Congress.

House votes for D.C. police chases, against city’s input on judges: The bills passed — one with bipartisan support — despite universal opposition among top D.C. elected officials as the GOP tightens its grip on the nation’s capital.

Reading archive 2025-07-07

Shooters emerged from car in D.C. slaying of congressional intern: Police say they’re trying to enhance video of the incident that left one dead and two others injured.

I’m a gastroenterologist. Here’s why I tell my patients to eat this one fruit.: Kiwis can boost your gut health. They may also lower triglycerides and cancer risk.

Do you need a measles vaccine booster? Here’s what to know.: The answer depends on when you were born, your vaccine records and whether you plan to travel internationally.

How this group got Trump to sign a pro-environment executive order: The "Make America Beautiful Again” executive order will establish a council tasked with preserving public lands, wildlife and drinking water supplies.

Did Canada just change how we think of Trump’s 2024 election?: Perhaps Trump’s win wasn’t about Trump at all

Trump’s big bill will snuff out Kansas hospitals and eviscerate Medicaid. Jerry Moran just shrugs.

Wall Street Worries as Crisis-Level Deficits Become the Government’s Default Mode: New legislation could push federal debt into dangerous territory—without an emergency requiring it

Debacle in the desert: will the Athletics’ $1.75bn stadium on the Vegas Strip ever be built?

How ‘Love Island USA’ forced a star’s exit after racist posts resurfaced: Cierra Ortega was quietly dumped from the villa after posts resurfaced of her using an Asian slur.

Russian minister found dead, likely of suicide, authorities say: Roman Starovoit found dead in his car with a gunshot wound on the same day he was relieved of his job as Russian transportation minister by President Vladimir Putin.

CVS was so worried about shoplifting that it stole its own soul: My local pharmacy’s products are now encased in glass, and the whole thing makes me very nervous.

Trump World’s Wizard of Oz Problem: Tucker Carlson and Steve Bannon don’t speak for Trump or his base. So why do people think they do? - "Few jobs in Trump world are more farcical than the position of 'architect' of 'America First': There are no MAGA intellectuals, just Trump and opportunistic ideologues attempting to hitch their pet projects to his brand. The self-styled thought leaders of the Trump movement are merely political entrepreneurs trying to appropriate the president for their own purposes and to recast his chaotic and idiosyncratic decisions as reflections of their personal worldview."

The Most Perverse Part of the ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ :The Republican megabill could be setting America up for the worst energy-affordability crisis since the 1970s. - "Blackouts and grid outages will become more frequent. Power-intensive industries such as AI and manufacturing will struggle under the weight of higher energy costs. China will solidify its dominance over clean-energy supply chains. 'Just think of Trump's own priorities: lower energy prices, becoming an AI superpower, reindustrializing America, outcompeting China,' Princeton's Jenkins said. 'Getting rid of these credits hurts all of those goals.' But there is one priority missing from that list: owning the libs. 

"Partisan polarization around clean energy has grown so extreme since the passage of the IRA that Trump and many other Republicans apparently see destroying it as an end in itself."

What Really Happened to Malaysia’s Missing Airplane: Five years ago, the flight vanished into the Indian Ocean. Officials on land know more about why than they dare to say.

Reading archive 2025-06-26

House GOP holdouts threaten revolt over Trump and Senate’s tax bill: The Senate has overhauled President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill, sparking serious concerns over federal spending and Medicaid in the House. - "But those holdouts have been through this saga before — and folded."

Zohran Mamdani’s victory is bad for New York and the Democratic Party: New York cannot take its greatness for granted. Mismanagement can ruin it. - "A massive minimum wage would depress low-skilled employment. His rent freeze would reduce the housing supply and decrease its quality. Cutting bus fares would leave a transit funding hole that, unless somehow filled, would erode service. Meanwhile, the grocery business operates on thin margins, and his plan for city-run stores would likely lead to fewer options, poor service and shortages, as privately-run stores closed rather than try to compete with city-subsidized shops."

Where each D.C. Council member stands on the Commanders RFK stadium deal: At least seven lawmakers are needed for Mayor Muriel E. Bowser’s RFK stadium deal with the team to proceed.

This Pride Month, the Backlash Has Officially Arrived: Young LGBTQ people are facing the prospect of losing rights they thought they’d never have to worry about.

America’s Incarceration Rate Is About to Fall Off a Cliff: Long sentences and recidivism kept prison populations high for decades, but prisons are now starting to empty. - "As the snake digests the pig year after year, the American prison system is simply not going to have enough inmates to justify its continued size or staggering costs. Some states that are contemplating expanding their prison capacity will be wasting their money their facilities will be overbuilt and underused. By 2035, the overall imprisonment rate could be as low as 200 per 100,000 people. States should instead be tearing down their most deteriorated and inhumane correctional facilities, confident that they will not need the space.

...

"The simplest available policy to accelerate the decarceration trend is to stop building prisons except in cases where a smaller, modern facility is replacing a larger, decaying institution. Though it will be nonintuitive to many reformers, particularly on the left, opposition to any such new facilities being private should be dropped. The principal political barrier to closing half-full prisons is the power of public-sector unions."

‘Everybody Knows Khamenei’s Days Are Numbered’: A well-placed group of Iranian insiders considers a future without the supreme leader.

The Trojan Horse Will Come for Us Too: The wars in Ukraine and the Middle East offer Americans a glimpse into the battles of the future—and a warning.

Why Won’t Zohran Mamdani Denounce a Dangerous Slogan?: The New York mayoral candidate’s defense of “Globalize the intifada” is very telling. - "The ambiguity of the slogan is not a point in its defense but a point against it. The dual meanings allow the movement to contain both peaceful and militant wings, without the former having to take responsibility for the latter."

What Chris Murphy Learned From the New Right: The standard-issue Northeast progressive wants to take the Democratic Party down a populist path.

Latinos Vote Differently Under Threat Voters who care most about economic issues will still coalesce as an ethnic bloc if their community is attacked.

Extreme Violence Without Genocide The plight of white South Africans is part of a much larger problem. - "Afrikaner farmers suffer, in this context, from what might be called the Willie Sutton problem. Why rob and assault them? Because that's where the money is. In rural areas, farmers have expensive motors and other agricultural equipment, and sometimes stashes of cash to pay workers."

Brace Yourself for Watery Mayo and Spiky Ice Cream: MAHA is coming for emulsifiers.

Why Isn’t Russia Defending Iran?: Backing the most anti-Western Middle Eastern power was convenient until it wasn’t.

The Magic Realism of Zohran Mamdani: The socialist New York mayoral candidate’s proposals don’t hold up to serious scrutiny. Will that matter?

The Tesla Brain Drain: The future of the struggling car company rests on Elon Musk more than ever before.

A Provocative Argument About What Creates Serial Killers: In her new book, Murderland, Caroline Fraser argues that the rise of these criminals has deep roots in the release of industrial waste. - "The author lays much of the blame at the feet of two Gilded Age families: the Rockefellers and the Guggenheims. The Rockefellers made their money in oil, and the Guggenheims in mining; they would later both own (and fight for control of) the profitable American Smelting and Refining Company, later known as ASARCO. ASARCO ended up all over the country, but Tacoma proved particularly attractive for its potential access to minerals. For nearly a century, a smokestack hundreds of feet high shot lead and arsenic into the sky."

Inside the Democratic Rupture That Undermined Kamala Harris’s Presidential Hopes: In the weeks before Election Day, it seemed like the candidate had two campaigns.

Reading archive 2025-05-14

Manufacturing is thriving in the South. Here’s why neither party can admit it. Both parties are afraid to confront the real story behind manufacturing losses. - "A big missing part of the story: Interstate competition. The Rust Belt’s manufacturing decline isn’t primarily about jobs going to Mexico. It’s about jobs going to Alabama, South Carolina, Georgia and Tennessee. To put it in college football terms, the traditional Big Ten has been losing out to the Southeastern Conference. In 1970, the Rust Belt was responsible for nearly half of all manufacturing exports while the South produced less than a quarter. Today, the roles are reversed, it is the Rust Belt that hosts less than one-fourth of all manufactured exports and the South that exports twice what the Rust Belt does."

Gabbard fires leaders of intelligence group that authored Venezuela assessment: The director of national intelligence fired top officials weeks after their group authored an assessment contradicting President Donald Trump’s legal rationale for deporting alleged Venezuelan gang members. - "'Anything that reduces its independence because policymakers don’t like the independent conclusions it reaches, is the definition of politicization they are decrying. Mike and Maria are unbelievable leaders and IC professionals, not political actors,' wrote Panikoff, now at the Atlantic Council think tank."

Their adopted pig charmed the world. Then their romance crumbled.: Esther the Wonder Pig’s dads pick up the pieces after her death, and a messy breakup.

The Republican squirm is in full swing: Amid a series of extraordinary Trump gambits in recent days, Republicans are straining -- hard -- to avoid passing judgment. - "Trump and his top aides have floated suspending habeas corpus, pushed to accept a $400 million airplane from Qatar and sought to unilaterally lower prescription drug prices. All of these are legally dubious, and the first two are especially extraordinary."

‘Original Sin’ indicts the ‘cover-up’ of a steeply declining Joe Biden: Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson’s new book is an investigative account of loyalists and family members who shielded the diminished president from full public view. - "The result of more than 200 interviews, the book is a damning account of an elderly, egotistical president shielded from reality by a slavish coterie of loyalists and family members united by a shared, seemingly ironclad sense of denial and a determination to smear anyone who dared to question the president’s fitness for office as a threat to the republic covertly working on behalf of Trump.

...

"'No one thought that the Harris campaign had been without error,' they write. 'But for the most knowledgeable Democratic officials and donors, and for top members of the Harris campaign, there was no question about the father of this election calamity: It was Joe Biden.'"

D.C. man charged with murder in beating death of 18-month-old girl: Police said they responded to a report of a child in cardiac arrest in September, but an autopsy found she had numerous head and bodily injuries.

As U.S. pardon attorney, Ed Martin says he will review Biden pardons: In a news conference on his final day as interim U.S. attorney for D.C., Martin also attacked local judges and city officials’ “sanctuary city” policies.

White House eased China tariffs after warnings of harm to ‘Trump’s people’: The president has backtracked repeatedly on his tariff policies, creating a whiplash with downsides and few clear benefits so far. - "'It’s been completely insane,' Michael Strain, an economist at the American Enterprise Institute, a center-right think tank, said of Trump’s tariff policies. 'When I step back from the euphoria over easing tariffs with China, what I see is the tariff rate is five times as high as when Trump took office. And we seem to have gotten nothing out of it at all.'"

Buttigieg, eyeing a presidential run, says ‘maybe’ Biden hurt Democrats: The former Biden administration official was in Iowa, where he warned in his highest-profile public appearance since leaving government not to ‘hang back’ against President Donald Trump.

Democrats pull off an upset in Nebraska, electing Omaha’s first Black mayor: Voters denied Republican Mayor Jean Stothert a fourth term in a race overshadowed by President Donald Trump’s agenda in Washington — the latest test of attitudes in a political battleground.

Weight-Loss Drugs Aren’t Really About Weight: To figure out who will benefit most, doctors should consider a particularly toxic kind of fat.

The Debate That Will Determine How Democrats Govern Next Time: Did the party lose in 2024 despite Joe Biden’s economic approach, or because of it? - "The term neoliberalism is infamously hard to define and, on both the left and the populist right, often devolves into a catchall meme for everything bad in the world but the long-standing bipartisan consensus that it describes is real and meaningful. Starting in the late 1970s, leaders in both parties embraced free trade, disavowed large-scale public investment (sometimes called 'industrial policy'), favored market-friendly solutions to big social problems, and backed away from antitrust enforcement. Underlying those choices was a belief that free markets should largely be left to their own devices to maximize economic growth. The central economic disagreement between the parties was over tax rates and the size of the social safety net."

What the U.K. Deal Reveals About Trump’s Trade Strategy: The United States is settling for a tiny fraction of what it could have achieved through traditional free-trade agreements. - "If the U.K. deal is a model for deals yet to be struck with other nations, Trump will have little to show for the chaos and disruptions that his tariffs have unleashed - especially when compared with what America could have had instead."

Reading archive 2025-05-08

The Huge, Under-the-Radar Shift Happening in the West Bank: Over the past few months, an Israeli military operation has displaced tens of thousands of Palestinians in West Bank cities. Some Palestinians fear it may be laying the ground to annex the territory.

At This Humble Used Car Lot, Tariffs are Beginning to Sting: Antonio Austin is trying to hold his car business together as President Trump's tariffs drive up costs - and drive his customers deeper into crisis.

Pro-Palestinian Activists Gave Trump a Boost. They Have No Regrets.: Groups that rallied against Biden and Harris say they’d do it all over again. - "To Democratic leaders, the fact that these activists continue to push the party even after they helped (to some degree) facilitate its loss of power has been a source of immense irritation. While Biden could hardly step outside the White House during his last year in office without being confronted by pro-Palestine activists—and Harris was frequently interrupted by protesters on the campaign trail—it has not gone unnoticed that Trump rarely, if ever, faces a heckle. No demands are being made for him to call for a ceasefire. No threats are being made to ensure that the Arab and Muslim voters who supported his campaign stay home or switch back in 2028. 

"Activists say the reason for this is that they do not have the same juice within the Republican party as they do among Democrats, and have little ability to influence Trump’s policy approach. So they continue to focus on the party where their influence remains. And they feel vindicated by news developments and stray comments, like when Michael Herzog, the former Israeli ambassador to the U.S., said in an interview this week with an Israeli news program that the Biden administration 'never' demanded a ceasefire." [ed, note: they've got no juice with me]

Trump family's net worth has increased by $2.9 billion thanks to crypto investments, new report says - "As the president's investments in crypto have grown, the Securities and Exchange Commission has paused investigations into a dozen crypto companies since his inauguration, a CBS News analysis found."

GOP fight over state and local tax deduction slows Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’: A small band of GOP members representing districts in blue states wants to raise the limit on federal tax deductions for state and local taxes.

Virginia man who bankrolled ISIS erupts in court, gets 30-year prison term: At an explosive sentencing hearing, Mohammed Chhipa denounced the government, and his brother was subdued and arrested by U.S. marshals.

He was filming a prank for TikTok, friends told deputies. A man shot him.: Authorities on Tuesday charged a man with second-degree murder in the death of Michael Bosworth Jr., hours before the Virginia teen’s senior prom.

A killer hid in plain sight for 23 years. This is how police found him.: Eugene Gligor, 45, pleaded guilty Wednesday in a Maryland courtroom to the 2001 murder of Leslie Preer in her Chevy Chase home.

Tourist’s charge of $1,200 for candy leads to police raid, den of illicit goods: Authorities have cracked down on stores selling American candy on London’s Oxford Street, saying some also sell fake or dangerous goods and dodge taxes.

American-born Cardinal Robert F. Prevost is elected pope: The “Latin Yankee,” as he is known in Rome, worked 20 years in Peru’s poorest enclave and even became a naturalized citizen there.

Reading archive 2024-12-13

Tulsi Gabbard is going to hate the DNI job: Tulsi Gabbard might soon learn director of national intelligence isn’t what it’s cracked up to be.

Puritan baby names are back. Is ’90s culture responsible?: We took a look at data going back to the Revolutionary War and found something shocking: Virtue names such as Hope, Charity and Faith are back and bigger than ever!

In Georgia’s capital, a new fury fuels street protests: The ruling Georgian Dream party might have underestimated the depth of the people’s frustration.

Energized by next Trump term, red states move agendas further right: Governors, legislators and attorneys general ready plans for the “perfect storm of conservative policies” coming to many state legislatures and Washington.

Assad lived in quiet luxury while Syrians went hungry: Syria’s ousted leader cultivated a modest image. Footage revealing hidden opulence tells a different story. - "An effusive 2011 Vogue profile of the first lady titled 'A Rose in the Desert' — which was later taken down and mostly scrubbed from the internet — heralded the Assads’ supposed down-to-earth nature, a narrative the family was emphasizing even then."

U.S. citizen found in Syria says he was imprisoned for months: The man, who identified himself as Travis Timmerman, said he had crossed into Syria from neighboring Lebanon months ago on a ‘pilgrimage’ to Damascus. [ed. note: whither Austin Tice?]

D.C. asks for redo of ANC election after college student flagged errors: A sophomore seeking the unglamorous neighborhood advisory role grew suspicious when she only received just one vote - her own ballot.

Gold bar scammer sentenced to five years for attempted theft: Judge calls sentence “measured deterrence” against scams that bilked millions from Montgomery County residents - "'The only real explanation I think that I can see here,' Arora [the defense attorney] said, 'is this is somebody who acted out of immaturity without really weighing the consequences of the decisions that he was making.'" [ed. note: um and greed]

FBI agent accused of rape two years after acquittal for Metro shooting: Eduardo Valdivia, 40, faces two counts of second-degree rape in Montgomery County for incidents at his purported tattoo and photo studio.

How a brutally repressive African country freely raises money in the U.S.: Eritrea’s embassy has helped raise millions of dollars to promote the interests of the cash-strapped country. Its ruling party is under U.S. sanctions.

Lina Khan Goes Out With a Bang: The failed Kroger-Albertsons merger offers the clearest proof yet that the new antitrust movement is breaking through. - "Internal company documents and testimony showed that, in many markets, Kroger and Albertsons view each other as their main competitor. 'You are basically creating a monopoly in grocery with the merger,' one Albertsons executive wrote. Other evidence showed Kroger raising prices on milk and eggs, lowering them only if a nearby store owned by Albertsons did so. (In fact, in the separate trial of Colorado’s challenge to the merger, an executive testified that Kroger systematically raised prices at 'no-comp stores'—that is, stores in towns where there was no competition—and kept prices lower in towns with another grocer.)"

Reading archive 2024-11-18

Trump allies eye overhauling Medicaid, food stamps in tax legislation: Republican leaders, looking for ways to offset the cost of lower taxes, are considering changes to safety net programs for the poor.

Inside the Republican false-flag effort to turn off Kamala Harris voters: A multipronged dark money effort by advisers to Elon Musk targeted liberals, Jews, Muslims and Black voters with ads that were not quite what they seemed. - "Muslims in Michigan began seeing pro-Israel ads this fall praising Vice President Kamala Harris for marrying a Jewish man and backing the Jewish state. Jews in Pennsylvania, meanwhile, saw ads from the same group with the opposite message: Harris wanted to stop U.S. arms shipments to Israel.

"Another group promoted “Kamala’s bold progressive agenda” to conservative-leaning Donald Trump voters, while a third filled the phones of young liberals with videos about how Harris had abandoned the progressive dream. Black voters in North Carolina were told Democrats wanted to take away their menthol cigarettes, while working-class White men in the Midwest were warned that Harris would support quotas for minorities and deny them Zyn nicotine pouches. 

"What voters had no way of knowing at the time was that all of the ads were part of a single, $45 million effort created by political advisers to Tesla founder Elon Musk who had previously worked on the presidential campaign of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), according to a presentation about the group’s efforts obtained by The Washington Post."

Why wildfires in the eastern U.S. can be more destructive than you may think: The East may not face the same threats of massive wildfires that have become an ominous hallmark of life in the West. But the risks are underestimated.

Trump Says He’ll Move Thousands of Federal Workers Out of Washington. Here’s What Happened the First Time He Tried.: The Bureau of Land Management’s headquarters moved from the capital to Colorado in 2020, causing an exodus of leadership. If elected, Trump plans to use the same tactic across more of the federal government.

A Pregnant Teenager Died After Trying to Get Care in Three Visits to Texas Emergency Rooms: It took three ER visits and 20 hours before a hospital admitted Nevaeh Crain, 18, as her condition worsened. Doctors insisted on two ultrasounds to confirm “fetal demise.” She’s one of at least two Texas women who died under the state’s abortion ban. - "Fails and Crain believed abortion was morally wrong. The teen could only support it in the context of rape or life-threatening illness, she used to tell her mother. They didn’t care whether the government banned it, just how their Christian faith guided their own actions.

...

"But when her daughter got sick, Fails expected that doctors had an obligation to do everything in their power to stave off a potentially deadly emergency, even if that meant losing Lillian. In her view, they were more concerned with checking the fetal heartbeat than attending to Crain." [ed. note: lol go septic and die, bitch]

https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2023/02/26/us/undocumented-border-officer-cec [ed. note: from 2023]

Hours after Trump win, Biden moves to limit oil drilling in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: An oil-and-gas auction is slated for the refuge’s coastal plain, which provides critical habitat for caribou, polar bears and other wildlife.

Canada sees opportunity in these mines. Alaskans see a threat.: Indigenous people, environmentalists and lawmakers of both parties fear more mining in British Columbia’s Golden Triangle could pollute Alaska’s waterways. - "In the 1950s, British Columbia’s Tulsequah Chief Mine began polluting a tributary to the salmon-rich Taku River in Alaska’s southeast with sulfuric acid and heavy metals. Decades later, the mine is still leaking; the pace of the cleanup, glacial."

Biden races to Trump-proof his climate legacy: Several agencies are working to finalize environmental rules and policies before Donald Trump’s inauguration.

With Trump win, Israeli minister calls to annex parts of West Bank: Comments Monday by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich were the strongest display yet of how Trump’s election has emboldened Israeli hard-liners. - "Giving military control to a handpicked civilian has been viewed as another step toward Smotrich’s long-running aspiration, outlined in a 2017 treatise, to achieve 'victory by settlement' and extend Israeli law over the territory — an effort analysts say would effectively convert occupation into annexation."

Musk appears to pressure Trump on Cabinet and tariffs, irking advisers: Elon Musk, the billionaire who has become Donald Trump’s “first buddy,” appeared to publicly pressure the president-elect on economic policy and a key Cabinet pick.

Trump promised mass deportations. Mexico isn’t ready.: Half of undocumented immigrants in the United States are Mexican. Here’s how Trump’s plan would harm both countries. - "Mexican officials argue they have a strong hand in dealing with Trump on immigration. Under pressure from the Biden administration, Mexico launched its own crackdown on migrants this past year. That played a key role in driving down U.S. border detentions by 78 percent since December. Now they’re even lower than they were when Trump finished his first term."

Go bags, passports, foreign assets: Preparing to be a target of Trump’s revenge: Some prominent critics of Donald Trump, and those he has vilified as “deep state” saboteurs, are taking seriously his vow of retribution.

Reading archive 2024-11-15

Gift link: How The Ivy League Broke America [a forum with several takedowns of David Brooks' Atlantic think piece]

In Northeast D.C., a rancorous post-election fight erupts — over bike lanes: On the night after the 2024 election, residents of D.C.’s Michigan Park neighborhood focused their anger on plans to revamp local roads.

Amtrak gets hundreds of millions for D.C. and Md. as Biden leaves: The money will cover only a small part of Amtrak’s $10 billion redesign plan.

Can plastic fit in the palm of your hand? Don’t recycle it.: Most small plastics don’t get recycled, and putting them in your bins could end up doing more harm than good, experts say.

Muslims who voted for Trump upset by his pro-Israel cabinet picks - "Rexhinaldo Nazarko, executive director of the American Muslim Engagement and Empowerment Network (AMEEN), says Muslim voters had hoped Trump would choose cabinet officials who work toward peace, and there was no sign of that." [lol inject it into my veins]

Reading archive 2024-11-14

Trump’s Victory and the End of the Rainbow Coalition

How the Ivy League Broke America: The meritocracy isn’t working. We need something new. - "As Markovits has noted, the academic gap between the rich and the poor is larger than the academic gap between white and Black students in the final days of Jim Crow.

...

"In some ways, we’ve just reestablished the old hierarchy rooted in wealth and social status—only the new elites possess greater hubris, because they believe that their status has been won by hard work and talent rather than by birth. The sense that they 'deserve' their success for having earned it can make them feel more entitled to the fruits of it, and less called to the spirit of noblesse oblige."

A Former Republican Strategist on Why Harris Lost: Inflation, moderation, and candidate effects

Opinion Trump’s great government purge begins: The president-elect’s plan to make the government more “efficient” is going just swell.

Trump aides explore plans to boost Musk effort by wresting control from Congress: The White House could challenge or seek to change a 1974 law that blocks presidents from choosing which programs to fund.

Georgetown bagel shop wins zoning fight. Not everyone is happy.: Despite neighborhood pushback, Call Your Mother deli can continue to serve sandwiches, a zoning board ruled.

After bribery case hearing, White asks D.C. Council to accept his reelection: Recently reelected D.C. Council member Trayon White Sr. said the council should not remove him from office before his criminal trial in January 2026.

D.C. truancy, chronic absenteeism drop to lowest levels since pandemic: Truancy in D.C.’s public schools has returned to pre-pandemic levels while chronic absenteeism is at its lowest since schools closed nearly five years ago, new data show.

Reading archive 2024-11-07

Your lawn could host an endangered ecosystem: In the effort to restore the Palouse Prairie, no project is too small.

Everyone’s ignoring these investors’ warnings on climate risk. You shouldn’t.: Climate change is rewriting the rules of real estate. - "The market reaction has been muted in part because governments still absorb much of the risk. Insurance premiums are often subsidized with state and federal dollars through programs like the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). Banks issue mortgages for risky homes and sell them to government-backed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, effectively transferring risk to taxpayers. Local officials balk at mapping climate risk, out of fear that it will hurt property values and lower tax revenue."

Harris defeat is a stinging verdict for the left: For Harris, who is no stranger to setbacks, the presidential election result was a devastating defeat.

Voter anger over economy boosts Trump in 2024, baffling Democrats: Exit polls reflect public frustration about the state of the economy under Democrats, who blame social media, the press and bad luck. - "Republicans have relentlessly hammered Biden and Harris over inflation, blaming the 2021 economic rescue plan approved by Democrats, and Trump turned higher prices into a core feature of his stump speech. However, virtually all rich nations were hit with far higher inflation amid a covid-induced shift in consumption patterns and Russia’s war in Ukraine, which disrupted global supply chains."

Federal workers prepare for cuts, forced relocations in Trump’s second term: Trump, in his formal campaign platform, called to redistribute workers out of the Washington area and implement large-scale cuts to the federal government.

She thought America would surprise her. Then Donald Trump won again.: When Easter Brown, 83, worked at the White House cafeteria, she couldn’t imagine she would ever get to vote for a woman to be in the Oval Office.

Jan. 6 riot defendants celebrate Trump’s election, angle for pardons: The president-elect has promised to pardon some Capitol rioters. His campaign has said he will decide which ones on a “case-by-case” basis.

Michael Fanone knows how many of you feel. He’s felt it for years. - "'We can’t say, in honesty, 'This is not who we are,'' Fanone said, gesturing his beer toward the television. 'We are violent. We are hate-filled. We are self-centered.'"

Reading archive 2024-11-05

Harris wraps up her historic bid amid a ‘nauseously optimistic’ mood: Inside the Harris camp, aides believe she will prevail. But they are tortured by the closeness of the race, and Democrats remain traumatized by the shock of 2016.

Trump’s last day on the trail in his third run: ‘It’s ours to lose’: In the final stretch before Election Day, Trump — to the chagrin of many aides and allies — has seemed unable to curb his worst impulses.

Reading archive 2024-11-04

Attack on gay model at U Street McDonald’s investigated as hate crime: A man alleged someone referred to him using a homophobic slur as he was attacked by a large group of people.

A murderer faced life in prison. The judge gave him 10 years.: The state’s attorney’s office and family of Antoine Dorsey condemned Prince George’s judge Darren Johnson’s sentence as too lenient for a case of first-degree murder. - "At the news conference, the state’s attorney’s office stood by the integrity of the case against him. Braveboy [prosecutor] said Blanco Diaz [convict] also has a pending attempted murder and rape case involving two victims at the Prince George’s County Detention Center, which was part of why prosecutors requested a life sentence."

Trump might target fluoride in tap water. Here’s what the science says.: Robert Kennedy Jr., poised for a health job in a potential Trump administration, said he would prioritize removing fluoride from drinking water. Here’s what to know.

Lithium-ion batteries have ruled for decades. Now they have a challenger.: Sodium-ion batteries are emerging as a possible alternative.

Armed youths stole her car. Her pictures of them went viral.: The woman said in an interview that she went back to take images of the children who took her car at a Safeway in D.C.

GOP’s closing election message on health baffles strategists, worries experts: “No Obamacare.” Questioning vaccines. No fluoride in drinking water. They’re all Republican assertions in the final days of the presidential campaign.

Scientists may have figured out why a potent greenhouse gas is rising. The answer is scary.: Methane emissions spiked starting in 2020. Scientists say they have found the culprit.

Alex Clark and the rise of the conservative wellness warrior: As Trump’s campaign embraces RFK Jr.’s causes, this 31-year-old influencer stands at a key political intersection. - "As for the issue that is repelling so many women from the Republicans: Clark is firmly antiabortion and doesn’t see this view in conflict with her wellness mission. 'Abortion is never medically necessary to save the life of the mother,' she said, reciting a talking point that experts have said is wrong."

Four years after ‘Stop the Steal,’ an organized army emerges online: The fringe group that tried to subvert Donald Trump’s 2020 loss has spent years preparing to contest the 2024 vote. This time, Elon Musk is on their side

Inside the Ruthless, Restless Final Days of Trump’s Campaign: “What’s discipline got to do with winning?”

Reading archive 2024-11-03

In surprise, Harris has slight lead over Trump in Iowa poll: The poll results, conducted by a well-regarded polling firm, show Kamala Harris’s strength among women, particularly those who are older or politically independent.

Trump says he doesn’t mind someone shooting at journalists at rally: Trump’s latest comments were an escalation of violent language he and his supporters have used in recent days.

Reinventing the world’s favorite building material: Concrete, the second-most-used material on Earth, generates about four times more CO2 emissions than planes.

At Taiwan Pride, love and queer culture shine: An illustrated reflection of LGBTQ life and celebration in Taipei.

Graveyards dot this town. Its ‘Cemetery Troopers’ are repairing them.: A group of military veterans has taken on the task of protecting history in East Haddam, Connecticut.

Ohio Sheriff’s Lieutenant in hot water after social posts; “I am sorry. If you support the Democratic Party, I will not help you”

Fear. Danger. Faith.: As immigration tensions deepen, one family risks it all to reach the United States.

Reading archive 2024-11-02

Pa. officials apologize for shackled Harris display in Halloween parade: Community officials in Pennsylvania apologized after someone dressed as Vice President Kamala Harris pretended to be shackled behind a vehicle during a parade.

Reading archive 2024-11-01

Trump’s ‘grab them’ comment was history. Now TikTok is showing it to young voters.: As the audio clip circulates on the popular video app, Gen Z users are expressing their shock.

As smuggling rings made billions from migrants, the U.S. was sidelined: Migrant-smuggling has become a top income stream for criminal groups in Latin America but for years the U.S. government did little to dismantle these networks.

Carjacking suspect fatally shot by police after pursuit on I-95: Police said troopers spotted the vehicle, which had been carjacked in Maryland, and chased it on the major highway in Virginia.

Some Virginia voters think Vindman’s brother is the one on the ballot: The identical twin brothers’ similar faces, voices and roles in the first impeachment probe into Donald Trump have prompted a case of mistaken identity in the state’s battleground 7th District.

A year in the life of a leaf: Explore a leaf’s magical transformations across seasons.

Skateboard-wielding suspect accused of destroying D.C.’s tiki torch statue: The man was arrested on destruction of property and drug charges after police say he demolished the politically themed artwork.

Georgia official warns of likely Russian interference in presidential election: A video of Haitians saying they illegally voted for Kamala Harris is fake, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said, and likely a product of Russian troll farms.

Mike Johnson, who shares ‘secret’ with Trump, fights to keep the House: The Speaker could lead a conservative overhaul of the government. Or find himself in the political wilderness.

Opinion Who are we, America?: If we choose Trump this time, no one can claim to have been fooled or unaware.

Trump embraces violent rhetoric, suggests Liz Cheney should have guns ‘trained on her face’: The GOP nominee often describes graphic and gruesome scenes of crimes and violence, real and imagined.

Opinion What happened to all those subscriptions?: The Washington Post has suffered a subscriber desertion. What does it mean?

Black women in Georgia back Harris and fear a Trump presidency: In interviews, Black women expressed support for Harris and what her candidacy represents, as well as concerns about what a Trump presidency could mean for them.

Reading archive 2024-10-31

The Unfair Typecasting of Second Empire Style: How did Second Empire architecture — elegant and innovative — become the de facto style for haunted houses and creepy attractions?

Is this the ‘most haunted’ building in Washington? The EEOB’s spooky history.: A locked case in which items somehow moved. Spectral figures in the halls. Ex-White House staffers share Eisenhower Executive Office Building ghost stories.

The passive house trend is booming: These green homes are designed to be as energy efficient as possible. New incentives aim to make them more budget-friendly.

Work Advice: How far should I go to accommodate a neurodivergent colleague?: It’s important to start by asking them what would help them succeed. The results may surprise you.

China built a $50 billion military stronghold in the South China Sea

Congress tried to fix presidential transitions. Trump is testing the changes.: The first test of a little-known change to the presidential transition process is causing anxiety as Trump is potentially poised to return to power.

Guns. Knives. Bats. Hammers. Hatchets. Spears.: As incidents of road rage escalate across the country, aggressive drivers in Texas try to understand what triggers anger.

Two Theories of Immaculate Disinflation, and Their Implications: Paul Krugman

"It is so disastrous": MAGA men are freaking out that wives may be secretly voting for Kamala Harris: "That’s the same thing as having an affair,” Fox News host argues as women fuel early vote in key states

Reading archive 2024-10-30

The Worst of Crypto Is Yet to Come: No matter who wins in November, the digital-asset market could be on the brink of a deregulation-fueled bonanza. - "Dennis Kelleher, the CEO of the nonprofit Better Markets, told me the real reason the crypto industry doesn’t want tokens to be classified as securities is that disclosure rules would expose them as financially dangerous. 'If you had to fully and truthfully disclose the risks associated with crypto, the people who would engage in crypto would be near none,' he said."

North Korea’s elite troops are in Russia to fight Ukraine: What we know: The North Korean Special Forces sent to Russia are the state’s best trained troops but they will face challenges with modern warfare technology, experts say.

Stung by the backlash, Ted Leonsis is trying to win back: Washington The Monumental Sports & Entertainment CEO says he wants to unite the region, but a failed arena deal in Virginia turned him into a polarizing figure.

She said she had a miscarriage — then got arrested under an abortion law

Who is the mystery poop and tiki torch artist?: The Washington Post set out to find out who was behind two new eye-catching art installations in the city. We couldn’t quite do it.

Against mayor’s wishes, D.C. will use bus sales to help Circulator workers: The mayor chose to end Circulator service this year, saying the city could no longer afford the red buses.

D.C. Council restricts amplified noise, projectiles at residential protests: An emergency measure to temper First Amendment activity in residential neighborhoods was by turns lauded and derided by District residents, as the D.C. Council voted 9-2 to pass the bill.

What Trump could do to Metro if he wins a second term: While in office, Trump repeatedly tried to slash infrastructure budgets and pull back funding for public transit.

Opinion So, what did you think of Harris’s October surprise? Across the country, the vice president’s field operation dwarfs Trump’s. - "Democrat Josh Stein will almost certainly win the governor’s race, and Democrats will likely take a couple more statewide races. But the congressional delegation 'will either be 71 percent Republican or 79 percent, in a state Kamala Harris may very well win,' Nickel said."

Opinion Donald Trump wants you to be afraid of me: His anti-trans TV ads are a cunning, cynical program to encourage us to fear what we do not understand.

Companies ready price hikes to offset Trump’s global tariff plans: Executives say Americans, not foreign countries, will pay the tariffs. - "In fact, American importers pay all tariffs to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency at the time their products enter the country."

Mike Johnson vows major changes to Affordable Care Act if Trump wins election: The House speaker said Republicans would seek to overhaul the law, which provides health coverage to tens of millions and has been a frequent target of GOP repeal efforts.

For Jeff Bezos and his businesses, Washington has become more important: Executives at companies founded by the billionaire Post owner have sought contact with Trump. He argues he didn’t end presidential endorsements out of self-interest.

They thought they found their dream home — so did thousands of bats: For a millennial couple buying their first home, on an island in the Puget Sound, the cost of humanely resolving the bat problem was more than they expected.

Musk’s plan to cut $2 trillion in U.S. spending could bring economic turmoil: Deep budget cuts would be required to meet the billionaire Trump supporter’s goal. He appeared to acknowledge some risks on Tuesday.

China cracks down on Halloween, wary of subversion lurking in costumes: Halloween is new to China, but many young professionals embrace costumes as a way to express themselves – and sometimes to send subtle political messages.

These women are all in for abortion rights — and for Donald Trump: Harris is making abortion part of her closing argument. But some voters say they aren’t worried about what a Trump presidency would mean for abortion. - "Republican and independent voters who plan to split their ticket on abortion — voting for an abortion referendum and for Trump — said they were willing to give Trump the benefit of the doubt on the issue, with some feeling reassured by his recent promises not to crack down further on abortion. Despite Trump’s decision to appoint the three conservative Supreme Court justices who helped revoke the constitutional right to abortion, a few voters said they believed Trump was secretly 'pro-choice.'" [ed. note: everyone is about to get everything they deserve]

LGBTQ activists canvassed in a red state. The conversations surprised them.: The group spread out across Missouri in the final days before the election. Residents had viewpoints that did not fit in neat partisan boxes.