Reading archive 2026-01-14

Smithsonian submits files to White House after funding threat The White House had threatened to withhold the Smithsonian’s funding if it did not send more documentation on its exhibits and operations.

These prosecutors spent years on cases. Then Trump granted pardons.: The president’s clemency acts have eroded faith among Justice Department employees that their work will result in accountability, some prosecutors say.

In Secret Testimony, Republicans Derided Trump’s Stolen Election Claims: The testimony, part of the derailed Georgia election interference case, makes clear how dismissive some senior Republicans were of claims of widespread fraud in the 2020 election.

How to make the midterms slightly less disgusting: Divided government would be good outcome next fall.

World’s fattest parrots set for mating bonanza after bumper berry crop: After a four-year hiatus, conservationists in New Zealand are relieved that the flightless kākāpo is once again breeding. Fewer than 300 of the parrots exist. - "The parrots were once abundant in New Zealand, but dwindled after the arrival of Polynesian settlers around 700 years ago, who hunted them for meat and feathers. The arrival of European settlers accelerated their demise by clearing forest habitats and introducing deer and possums, competing with them for forest resources."

Trump makes obscene gesture, mouths expletive at Detroit factory heckler: “As far as calling him out, definitely no regrets whatsoever,” the heckler told The Post after a video captured Trump twice mouthing “f--- you” and raising his middle finger.

FBI executes search warrant at Washington Post reporter’s home: The search came as part of an investigation into a government contractor accused of illegally retaining classified government materials.

Thom Tillis wants you to know something: ‘I’m sick of stupid’: The North Carolina Republican has been at the forefront this month of staking out anti-MAGA ground and criticizing Trump’s aides. [ed. note: Thom Tillis is deeply insincere, very stupid, or both]

A casino bill is a bad bet for Virginia Democrats: Few issues have divided Democratic lawmakers as sharply as the proposed Tysons casino.

After fleeing the Taliban, they felt safe in America. A shooting in D.C. changed everything.: “Most of all, I wanted freedom. I’m so scared I won’t get it.”

A Romance That Actually Takes Sex Seriously: Heated Rivalry understands how relationships develop through physicality.

How the Supreme Court Broke Congress: In the name of protecting the balance of powers, the Court is radically refashioning that balance. - "The citizens and commentators shouting from the sidelines that Congress must act, fix itself, and reclaim its intended role are not wrong. But they miss that the Court has made doing so nearly impossible. The practical result is a Congress caught between paralysis and policing, mostly incapable of translating collective judgment into law and, when it does manage to do so, vulnerable to having its most significant accomplishments - civil-rights enforcement, voting protections, campaign-finance reform, administrative authority - erased by judicial decree. The judiciary, long conceptualized as a check on legislative excess, is now defined by its own excess against legislative charge.

...

"The Roberts Court has hollowed out these dynamic sources of congressional constitutionalism. Its voting-rights and campaign-finance decisions have weakened the electoral systems that make Congress responsive to the public. Statutes of this genre, to borrow from the former Yale Law School dean Robert Post, should be thought of as "wholesome legislation that nourishes democratic legitimacy"-measured legislative judgments about the guardrails and ground rules necessary to preserve elections as channels of representation, and public faith in them as such. In dismantling this scaffolding, the Court has left Congress more detached from its electorate, diminishing its claim and role as a representative authority."

The Islamic Republic Will Not Last: But the opposition has to start working together if something better is to follow.

The Biggest Myth About Trump’s Base (And Why Many Believe It): The MAGA faithful aren’t deserting their leader. - "The obvious conclusion is this: These purportedly pro-Trump figures do not actually speak for Trump or his supporters. Trumpism is not neo-isolationist or neoconservative, pro-restraint or pro-intervention. It is not pro-worker or pro-billionaire. It is whatever Trump says it is. According to YouGov, two weeks before American forces snatched Maduro, Republican support for invading Venezuela stood at 43 percent. Today that number is 74 percent. 'America First' and 'Make America Great Again' are slogans, not deeply held governing philosophies. They are branding - and Trump is the brand."

Reading archive 2025-12-12

House votes to repeal Trump order ending union rights at federal agencies: The March order restricted union rights in more than two dozen federal agencies. The bill to repeal it is likely to stall in the Senate. - "Federal workers already have limited union rights compared with other employees. They can’t strike or bargain over pay. But they are allowed to join unions and bargain collectively — protections that are meant to ensure workers are treated fairly, while preventing activity that could be disruptive to public services or threaten national security."

George Washington’s living quarters back on display after restoration: Mount Vernon, the first U.S. president’s estate along the Potomac River in Virginia, is undergoing the most extensive renovation in its history.

The minority voters who powered Trump to a second term are drifting away: Extended conversations with Black, Latino and Asian American voters who cast ballots for Trump in 2024 showed mixed feelings about the president and their votes.

MyPillow founder and conspiracist Mike Lindell announces Minnesota gubernatorial bid: Lindell, the CEO of MyPillow and a 2020 election denier, joins a crowded race in his unlikely Republican bid against two-term incumbent Gov. Tim Walz (D).

Oklahoma Black Lives Matter leader indicted on alleged misuse of donations: Tashella Sheri Amore Dickerson deposited at least several million dollars into personal accounts instead of the organization’s accounts, authorities said.

Trump asserts he has pardoned county clerk convicted in Colorado case: The impact of Trump’s claim is unclear since Tina Peters was convicted in state, not federal, court.

House Democrats release photos of Epstein with Trump, other public figures: Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released 19 images, many of them previously published, showing the disgraced financier with Bill Clinton, Woody Allen, Steve Bannon and others.

The Silent Treatment Is Quietly Ruining Your Relationships: Many of us have done it, but that doesn’t make it right, experts say.

Trump wants Bagram back. Satellite images show how the Taliban are using it.

Secret meetings between FBI and Ukraine negotiator spark concern: FBI Director Kash Patel and his deputy, Dan Bongino, met with Kyiv’s top peace negotiator amid a U.S. pressure campaign to end the war.

Russia could attack Nato within five years, says alliance chief in stark new warning

Let’s take a closer look at MIT, one target of Trump’s blunderbuss: It’s alarming to see such a complex, important institution subject to the whims of today’s politics. - "The 8 percent tax on MIT’s endowment will cost the university $240 million annually that will not be available to make up for reductions in government research grants. Universities’ endowments fuel upward mobility and combat the stagnation of elites. Taxing endowments mocks conservatism by enfeebling private sector alternatives to government’s domination of social resources."

The deeply personal reasons why many Indiana Senate Republicans said no to Trump

Reading archive 2025-10-07

Tesla said it didn’t have key data in a fatal crash. Then a hacker found it.: The critical evidence was presented last month to a jury, which found the company partially liable for the 2019 crash in Key Largo, Florida.

The Taliban are reaching out — and some countries are responding: Anti-immigrant sentiment in Europe, concerns about militancy in Asia and acceptance that the Taliban regime is unlikely to collapse soon present a diplomatic opening.

His wife was dying, his federal job crumbling. It tested his faith — in God and Trump.: One federal worker was rejected three times from the administration’s early resignation offer. Would he blame the president he voted for? - "Brandon hit pause. Trump’s treatment of the federal workforce was clearly an error, he thought. The president had delegated authority to bad people, especially Musk and the young engineers running DOGE, who didn’t understand or care about the government and the people who made it function. But Trump had a lot to manage, Brandon thought. He probably didn’t know about everything Musk and DOGE were doing." [ed. note: "If the fuhrer knew!", or naive monarchism]

‘I escaped a Russian prison — only to end up in an American jail’: Dozens of Russian dissidents have been expelled from the US and forcibly returned to Russia with the co-operation of immigration authorities - "When the dissidents arrived in Russia, the Russian authorities were given documents relating to their asylum applications in the US. Those dossiers, outlining their political beliefs and criticisms of Putin, could be used to prosecute them back home, campaigners believe."

The Anti-Trump Strategy That’s Actually Working: Lawsuits, lawsuits, and more lawsuits

Ukraine’s Most Lethal Soldiers: From the front lines in Kherson, with a unit that kills Russians for points

Judge in Comey case is known for sparing but powerful remarks in court: U.S. District Judge Michael S. Nachmanoff, a former public defender nominated by President Joe Biden, has a reputation as a measured jurist.

To defeat the Texas gerrymander, Democrats need to go nuclear: It’s not enough for blue states to redraw their maps. Leaders need to hit the GOP where it hurts most.

It’s Time for Soft Secession: How blue states can use their economic clout to stand up to Trump’s agenda—starting with California. - "As my colleague Ari Berman has noted: 'In 1790, the country’s most populous state, Virginia, had 12 times as many people as its least populous, Delaware. Today, California has 67 times the population of Wyoming. Fifteen small states with 41 million people combined now routinely elect 30 GOP senators; California, with 39 million residents, is represented by only two Democrats.'

...

"Blue states could lure away techies, doctors, nurses, and electricians with relocation bonuses. We could institute tax and other incentives to pull new factories and data centers away from red states. We could selectively terminate professional licensing reciprocity. We could ease commerce between friendly states and make it difficult for unfriendly ones."

Eventually You're Going to Have to Stand for Something: On accepting the fascist offer and being better than Ezra. - "Klein has demonstrated his commitment to open discourse and public debate; first by having prominent hatemonger Ben Shapiro (friendship status uncertain) on to his podcast to chat for a couple hours about the need for unity; next, by having on his friend Ta-Nehisi Coates—who has written an excellent piece criticizing Ezra's Kirk piece—so Klein could talk at Coates for an hour about how we need to be practical to regain power, and how those practicalities are going to have to come at the expense of the humanity of some of our neighbors, and how having historical conversations about who in fact has been killing who is all a little too much of a downer. The fact of interview with Shapiro and the content of the interview with Coates exposed Klein's moral emptiness in ways that he should find deeply embarrassing.

...

"This is the grain of sand at the center of the pearl of my ire, because 'we are going to have to live here with each other' is the exact premise that Republicans do not agree with any of us about, and while Klein in his remarks pays lip service to some of the recent proofs of this clear fact, his analysis of what to do about it he excises this reality entirely. In his mind, he and Kirk were just two guys, both trying to change the country for what they thought was good. It's a bond. Never mind that what Kirk thought was good was the American military in the streets of Chicago, and mass kidnapping in service of a white ethnostate, and the end of bodily autonomy for women and queer people, and so forth. In the Klein world, moral clarity about abuse is polarizing, and polarization, not abuse, is the problem to solve.

Should you brush your teeth before or after breakfast? What experts say.: There are pros and cons for both.

Three people found fatally shot in D.C. in three days: Three youths, one with a gun, took a moped in broad daylight on Capitol Hill.

Federal workers not entitled to back pay after shutdown, budget office claims: The government shutdown entered its seventh day Wednesday with no end in sight. The White House says a 2019 law doesn’t guarantee retroactive pay.

D.C. teacher aide on leave after allegedly putting hot sauce in autistic boy’s mouth: A D.C. teacher aide has been placed on leave after allegedly putting hot sauce in the mouth of a nonverbal autistic student.

Country singer Zach Bryan warns ICE will ‘bust down your door’ in new song: Bryan, a Grammy winner, upset some right-wing fans when he appeared to criticize U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in a teaser of a new song.

Reading archive 2025-08-25

These House Democrats seek a new middle ground on immigration: The New Democratic Coalition unveiled a plan to win back voters on immigration but they need the party’s support.

The House Freedom Caucus is under renovation: The far-right caucus is losing several of its most prominent members, creating an opening for new leaders and new approaches.

Pentagon plans military deployment in Chicago as Trump eyes crackdown: Military officials are sketching out a plan that could deploy a few thousand National Guard members, officials said. The use of active-duty forces has also been discussed.

Jeanine Pirro has joined Trump in attacking D.C.’s crime laws. Many experts doubt her claims

American housing policy needs a gut rehab: Housing starts improved in July, but people are not moving because rates and prices remain too high.

At 50, ‘Tuck Everlasting’ has withstood the test of time: On the 50th anniversary of Natalie Babbitt’s novel, I finally finished the book and have a whole new appreciation for the author and work

The Intel deal is a mistake: We cannot beat China by acting like it.

How an alcohol-fueled street fight turned into a conservative cause: The brawl in downtown Cincinnati has sparked debate about policing and bail reform. - "Cincinnati, which 2020 Census data puts at 47 percent White and 40 percent Black, has been rocked by high-profile racial incidents in recent months. In February, residents of a historically Black suburb confronted a neo-Nazi group displaying swastikas and distributing Ku Klux Klan fliers in their community. Residents have since established an armed patrol group of their neighborhood. In May, the father of a Black teen shot and killed by Cincinnati police fatally struck a Hamilton County sheriff’s deputy with his car the day after his son’s death, according to authorities."

Philadelphia transit hits ‘death spiral.’ More cities could follow.: Across Philadelphia and its suburbs, commuters are bracing for a dramatic reduction in public transit after state lawmakers were unable to agree on funding.

On screens and in games, Taiwan acts out a Chinese invasion: With the prospect of a Chinese invasion generating growing anxiety, Taiwan’s entertainment industry is tackling the sensitive subject through TV shows and games.

National Guard troops are in D.C. We went to see what they’re up to.: While some see the more than 2,200 National Guard members in the District as an extra layer of security, others question their utility.

DOGE Targeted Him on Social Media. Then the Taliban Took His Family.: Afghan scholar Mohammad Halimi, who fled the Taliban in 2021, had worked to help U.S. diplomats understand his homeland. Then DOGE put his family’s lives at risk by exposing his sensitive work for a U.S.-funded nonprofit. - "They rifled through other USIP files, spotlighting expenditures they used to publicly embarrass the institute. On Fox, DOGE also bragged about uncovering payments for 'private jets,' when, in fact, records show that USIP chartered a single plane for an evacuation mission out of a war zone for its staff. Cavanaugh did not answer a question about the assertion." [ed. note: among many other lies]

New GOP bill is latest push to extend federal control of D.C. police: The bill joins others from Republican legislators aiming to grant the federal government extended power over D.C. police. - "Committed partisans are always tempted to find evidence, however dubious, that being more hard-line is the path to political victory. It happens to people of all political descriptions. In recent years, though, Democrats have been especially prone to political misjudgments of this kind. 

"Sanders’s strong primary challenge to Hillary Clinton in 2016, for example, was taken as a sign that democratic socialism had a bright political future, when it was really a sign that she was an unappealing candidate. His strong performance with White working-class voters in that contest evaporated the next time he ran, when he was no longer a protest vote against Clinton."

A reality check for NPR stations in Trump country: Will rural affiliates see through the politicization and adopt a more all-embracing approach? [ed. note: dumb]

The Culture War Over Nothing: Is anyone actually mad about sorority-rush dances?

MAGA World Is So Close to Getting It: Gavin Newsom’s parodies are riling people up—and they don’t quite seem to understand why. - "As it turns out, the people who pioneered the slogan 'Fuck your feelings' are impossibly delicate souls."

The Real Reason American Socialists Don’t Win: Only part of the left’s most promising political party even wants to win elections or come to power. - "Moreover, some incidents at the convention cast serious doubt on DSA's commitment to the 'democratic' part of its title. For example, the convention rejected an amendment to a resolution declaring that DSA stood 'against all governments that engage in the repression of democratic rights.'"

Reading archive 2025-05-27

Ukraine’s drones disrupt Russia with airport closures, internet blackouts: As Ukrainian drones strike deep into Russian territory, they are disrupting day-to-day life and reminding Russians that the war is not confined to the trenches.

Veterans recoil at Trump plan to end Afghans’ deportation protection: The administration claims conditions in Afghanistan have markedly improved under Taliban rule. Those who fought in the war say that’s “laughable.”

They gathered to turn ‘pain into purpose.’ Then gunfire shattered their peace.: In an instant, a reception at the Capital Jewish Museum dedicated to bettering the world ended in unfathomable violence, with the killing of a young couple.

FBI to investigate leaked Dobbs opinion, D.C. pipe bombs, deputy director says: Deputy Director Dan Bongino said the FBI will push resources into investigating the leaked Supreme Court draft opinion and the 2023 discovery of cocaine at the White House.

Bowser promises emergency bill to expand D.C. youth curfew: Large groups of unruly teenagers have swarmed some neighborhoods, notably the city’s Wharf area, angering residents and business owners.

Five killed in D.C. over long holiday weekend, police say: A 16-year-old boy and a man struck by a stray bullet were among those killed between Friday night and Monday afternoon, police said.

Reading archive 2025-02-20

Teen sentenced in killing of Lyft driver who came to U.S. seeking safety: Nasratullah Ahmad Yar, once a U.S. military interpreter in his native Afghanistan, fled the Taliban for America. He was killed in an attempted carjacking.

Leader of cultlike, violent ‘Zizian’ group arrested in Maryland: Prosecutor links group to “multiple homicides”; members were camping near Frostburg.

How Progressives Froze the American Dream: The U.S. was once the world’s most geographically mobile society. Now we’re stuck in place—and that’s a very big problem. - "At an intellectual level, Jacobs understood that simply preserving historic buildings cannot preserve a neighborhood's character; she warned that zoning should not seek 'to freeze conditions and uses as they stand. That would be death.' A neighborhood is defined by its residents and their interactions, as Jacobs herself so eloquently argued, and it continually evolves. It bears the same relation to its buildings as does a lobster to its shell, periodically molting and then constructing a new, larger shell to accommodate its growth. But Jacobs, charmed by this particular lobster she'd discovered, ended up insisting that it keep its current shell forever.

...

Not far from where I live, in Washington, D.C., two lawn signs sit side by side on a neatly manicured lawn. One proclaims NO MATTER WHERE YOU ARE FROM, WE'RE GLAD YOU'RE OUR NEIGHBOR, in Spanish, English, and Arabic. The other reads SAY NO, urging residents to oppose the construction of an apartment building that would house the new neighbors the other sign purports to welcome. Whatever its theoretical aspirations, in practice, progressivism has produced a potent strain of NIMBYism, a defense of communities in their current form against those who might wish to join them. Mobility is what made this country prosperous and pluralistic, diverse and dynamic. Now progressives are destroying the very force that produced the values they claim to cherish.

...

"In D.C., where nearly 19 percent of buildings are similarly protected, residents of the well-off Cleveland Park neighborhood once stopped the construction of an apartment building by getting the old Park and Shop on which it was going to be built designated as historic; it was one of the first examples of strip-mall architecture in the country, the research of one enterprising resident revealed."

How the Woke Right Replaced the Woke Left: The hypocrisy of Trump’s language wars

How Progressives Broke the Government: Democrats’ cultural aversion to power has cleaved an opening for Trump.

A Trump outrage that stands apart: The president blames Ukraine for its own brutalization. - "One retired U.S. Army officer who’s working in Kyiv sent me an anguished message on Wednesday: 'What the hell is happening in America? From here, we look like we’ve lost our minds. We’re not just losing our standing with current leaders but we’re losing the next generation who are watching and learning that America cannot be trusted.'"

Musk’s mass firings are already backfiring: Culling the federal workforce with a sledgehammer does nothing to advance efficiency. - "But Clinton’s approach was quite different. He launched a six-month review of agencies to identify positions that could safely be eliminated and then slimmed the workforce gradually. In short, his administration did the hard work that Musk only claimed DOGE, which stands for Department of Government Efficiency, would do. Clinton also spoke frequently about the need to help the remaining federal workers become even more productive."

Measles are coming for RFK Jr.: An outbreak in West Texas might soon test the new health and human services secretary.

Republicans rebuke Trump on Ukraine — gently: On the first big foreign policy test of the GOP’s obeisance to Trump, some lawmakers are obliquely distancing themselves from Trump.

D.C. police identify man fatally shot by officer during confrontation: The authorities said Surafel Zerihun, 29, died after an altercation in the parking lot of a laundromat in Northwest Washington.

Former high-ranking D.C. official charged with bribery: The bribery case is the second in recent months linked to a D.C. government agency that awards grants to community-based organizations that employ violence interrupters. - "The agency’s new director, Kwelli Sneed, has vowed to enhance transparency and accountability — but has also previously tried to separate the allegations against White from the agency itself, saying in testimony before the D.C. Council that the indictment of White was 'not an indictment on ONSE' or its leadership team."

Trump Hands the World to China: Xi Jinping could only have dreamed of such rapid destruction of American power.

Reading archive 2025-02-03 pt 2

Criminal records of Jan. 6 rioters pardoned by Trump include rape, domestic violence

A Taliban highway could lead to the future. But it’s stuck in the past.: Taliban officials have a plan to turn one of the country’s remotest corners into a global trade hub by linking the Afghan heartland with China.

Are conservatives being ‘de-banked’?: Trump is threatening the financial regulatory system to help his crypto backers in Silicon Valley.

Wildlife-Friendly Landscape Design From Scratch: How to craft a landscape design that benefits wildlife, from blank slate to thriving habitat

The Democrats Show Why They Lost

The Tasks of an Anti-Trump Coalition: Avoid progressive pieties and rebuild an effective democratic majority - "The best-organized Democratic interest groups want to fight Trump on the worst possible issues; the Democrats who want to fight on smarter issues tend to be less organized to fight. Until that conundrum is solved, Democrats are disabled and Trump is empowered.

...

"Trump's project to brand drug cartels as international terrorist organizations has legal implications that Trump supporters refuse to consider. Right now, the cartels have powerful incentives not to commit violence against U.S. citizens or on U.S. territory. Yet Trump is poised on the verge of actions that could change the cartels' calculus and import Mexico's criminal violence north of the border on a huge scale.

...

"His plans to foster voter-ID laws and gerrymandering to disenfranchise Democrats will collide with the new reality of American politics that these measures will harm his prospects more than his opponents': Trump does best among the most disaffiliated Americans, whereas Democrats are widening their lead among those Americans who follow politics closely and vote most often."

Reading archive 2024-12-11

Bike lanes are consuming our streets and parking spaces: Readers push back against pesky bike lanes in D.C. and around the country.

Bikes deserve just as much of a place in the road as cars: Readers contest Marc Fisher’s column about the real purpose for D.C.’s new bike lanes.

Bowser, GOP lawmakers forge unlikely alliance over return-to-office mandate: Bowser’s first test before emboldened GOP representatives focused on federal workers and funding for inauguration security.

Luigi Mangione ‘had so much to offer’ — now, he is a murder suspect: “As I knew him, he was a creator, not a taker of life,” one former classmate said of the man charged in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

Severe pain shaped UnitedHealth CEO murder suspect’s view of health system: Luigi Mangione described his struggles with back issues on Reddit and vented frustration over health-care industry.

Footage shows Mark Gastineau still prickly with Brett Favre over sack: The matter arose in an ESPN documentary, prompting the former quarterback to say “there was no malice on my part” toward the Jets lineman.

Trump’s fake-it-till-you-make-it autocracy: Get rid of all permitting? Unwind birthright citizenship? Easy-peasy, if you pretend the myriad laws preventing such moves don’t exist.

Foster advocacy group disputes that arrested member assaulted Rep. Nancy Mace: The foster advocacy group says the man simply shook hands with the congresswoman.

Progress on inflation stalled in November as prices rose: Prices rose by 2.7 percent annually in November, up slightly from earlier in the fall.

All the light we would rather not see: Light pollution is bad for our health and the environment. But turning off a few switches can help.

The upcoming housing battle that could roil mortgage costs even more: The first Trump administration tried to remove two mortgage giants, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, from government control. The second one might finish the job.

There’s something scarier than rising costs behind Trump’s victory: A broader dissatisfaction with liberal market democracy is churning up authoritarianism around the world. - "The economic interpretation of voters’ embrace of Trump is suspect not just because it is so narrow. For all the polls demonstrating Americans’ grim assessment of the economy, consumers have kept up spending as if they have few worries in the world. For all the gripes about the cost of living, real wages for typical American workers have been rising faster than inflation."

EPA Issues Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to Protect Salmon from Chemical Used in Rubber Products: EPA advances process under Toxic Substances Control Act in response to Tribal petition - "For example, there are data showing that 6PPD-quinone is toxic to fish, with coho salmon being the most sensitive species studied to date. However, there are still uncertainties about the potential impacts of 6PPD-quinone on human health, as well as the potential for exposure from other sources of 6PPD-quinone."

RFK Jr. wants fluoride out of drinking water. Oregon shows what’s coming.

How Trump’s tariffs could spark a trade war and ‘Europe’s worst economic nightmare’: European countries could be among those hardest hit if Trump follows through on tariffs. The European Union says it wants to negotiate but is prepared to retaliate.

Ukraine races to develop its own long-range weapons to counter Russia: Troops have demonstrated their skill with long-range drones by hitting deep inside Russia, but experts say they need the punch and power of ballistic missiles, as well.

Afghan blast kills key minister, shocking Taliban: Khalil Haqqani was the acting minister for refugees and a key member of the notorious Haqqani network.

CIA official Asif Rahman pleads not guilty in leak of secret files on Israel: U.S. District Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles ordered pretrial detention for Rahman, 34, finding that he posed a risk to national security.

Report finds ‘substantial evidence’ Trayon White violated D.C. code of conduct: Council members will meet Monday to consider sanctioning White based on the findings — which could result in White’s expulsion from the council.

Susan Smith, who drowned her sons in 1994, is denied parole. Here’s what to know.: Smith spent 30 years in prison for murdering her two sons by driving them into a lake in a case that drew worldwide attention.

Reading archive 2024-12-02

What’s happening in Georgia, and why are thousands protesting?: More than 200 were arrested and dozens injured during protests after Georgia’s ruling party said it would suspend talks to join the European Union.

Women despair over Taliban rules, but many Afghan returnees don’t see it: Afghans living abroad are flocking back to visit relatives for the first time since the Taliban takeover. Severe restrictions on women are not top of mind.

Exercising to lose weight? Science says it rarely works.: A metabolism researcher dispels myths about how we burn calories and how this changes as we age.

The Great Grocery Squeeze: How a federal policy change in the 1980s created the modern food desert - "The problem of food deserts will not be solved without the rediscovery of the Robinson-Patman Act. Requiring a level pricing playing field would restore local retailers’ ability to compete. This would provide immediate relief to entrepreneurs who have recently opened grocery stores in food deserts, only to find that their inability to buy on the same terms as Walmart and Dollar General makes survival difficult. With local grocery stores back on the scene in these neighborhoods, chain supermarkets may well return, too, lured by a force far more powerful than tax breaks: competition."

Reading archive 2024-09-23

Tech giants fight plan to make them pay more for electric grid upgrades - "Chief among the power company’s concerns, according to the documents, is what will happen if it invests billions of dollars into new grid infrastructure only for the data centers to leave for greener pastures, or for the AI bubble to burst and the facilities to need much less power than initially projected. If the power company spends big on new infrastructure but the power demand it was built to serve doesn’t materialize, other customers — including business and residential payers — will be stuck with the bill, the utility said."

‘Agatha All Along’ star Kathryn Hahn casts an unforgettable spell: As the witch next door in Disney Plus’s ‘WandaVision’ spinoff, the longtime character actress steps into a role worthy of her charms.

Putin wants Russia’s youth to become ultranationalist patriots. Many are all in.

Opinion The U.S. military’s true advantage against any adversary: It’s the NCOs who set the U.S. military apart from the rest of the world.

GOP senator insults Arab American advocate at hearing on hate crimes: Sen. John Neely Kennedy used a hearing about hate crimes to accuse Arab American Institute Executive Director Maya Berry of supporting terrorists.

Russia expels U.K. diplomats; Putin warns against deep strikes with Western weapons: The Russian president issued his sternest warning to date about the use of Western weapons in Ukraine ahead of a meeting of British and U.S. leaders.

The disaster no major U.S. city is prepared for [ed. note: power outage from storm and then heatwave]

Taliban begins enforcing new draconian laws, and Afghan women despair: Afghan religious police wield new power to enforce a ban on women raising their voices in public and looking at men other than their husbands or relatives. - "Some Afghan women blame the outside world for their vanishing freedoms. 'The silence of the world over the last three years will go down as a dark chapter in history,' said Meena, echoing a widespread sentiment in the country that global attention has moved on from Afghanistan." [ed. note: we fought for them for 20 years]

These birds are almost extinct. A radical idea could save them. - "The sihek’s woes started shortly after World War II. Guam was a key battleground between U.S. and Japanese forces. After the war, residents began spotting invasive brown snakes slithering around the island’s trees, probably stowaways from military aircraft or cargo ships. 

"With no natural predators, the snakes proliferated, gobbling up the island’s small animals. Already, the snake has driven nine of Guam’s native forest birds to extinction."

Opinion Decades later, string theory continues its march toward Einstein’s dream: Why we must keep investigating physics’ most tantalizing theory — even without experimental results.

Cars with the most unpaid DC fines go to this impound lot

A survivor to her rapist: ‘I, too, am in prison’: He kidnapped, assaulted and raped multiple women. As activists try to give him a second chance, victims are speaking up about their rights. - "In that courtroom where Hubbard and her best friend from college faced their attacker — yet again — they were devastated that the man who assaulted and degraded them so violently has a real chance of getting out of prison. They now have to wait for the judge’s decision. 

"They were also gobsmacked at the array of help he had there for him — therapists, psychologists, a crusading attorney, anger-management programs."

Satellite footage suggests Russia ICBM launch test was a disaster: The apparent launch failure raised questions about Russia’s military capabilities and put in a dent in the Kremlin’s nuclear saber-rattling.

With nuclear option unlikely, Putin struggles to defend his red lines: There’s a growing realization in the Kremlin that the West is not falling for its nuclear threats and Putin is searching for new ways to enforce his red lines.

As Taliban starts restricting men, too, some regret not speaking up sooner: Beside imposing severe rules on women, new laws require men to grow fist-length beards and bar them from imitating non-Muslims in appearance or behavior. - "Amir, a resident who lives in eastern Afghanistan, said he supported the Taliban up until the latest restrictions. But he now feels bullied into submission by their morality police."

Where the sea wall ends: At a time of fast-rising seas, the ocean is eating away at this barrier island and others like it. But humans, who have held their ground here for over a century, are planning new condos.

The future of RFK Stadium should be up to D.C. — not a Montana senator: A Montana senator is blocking D.C.’s hopes for developing the RFK Stadium site. What if the roles were reversed? - "Close your eyes for a second. Imagine the role of Daines being played by, say, Phil Mendelson (D), the chairman of the D.C. Council. 

"Would the good senator from Montana take kindly to an elected official from the nation’s capital using political performatives to block, say, an economic development project in Bozeman? It sounds absurd because it is absurd."

Here’s how rich each candidate is compared with the average American: Trump, Harris, Vance and Walz span a wide range of financial circumstances. Here’s where they fit on the spectrum of American wealth.

Reading archive 2024-09-01

Protests escalate in Israel after 6 hostages’ bodies are recovered in Gaza: Hersh Goldberg-Polin, an Israeli American, and five others Hamas took hostage on Oct. 7 were killed “shortly before” being found, the Israel Defense Forces said.

U.S. plans to present ‘take it or leave it’ Israel-Gaza cease-fire deal soon: Officials hope grim discovery of bodies of six hostages in Gaza will renew urgency for a deal — but say they may walk away if it does not.

Ukraine launches massive drone attack on Russian energy infrastructure: Russia said it downed 158 drones in what appeared to be one of the largest Ukrainian drone attacks yet. Fires broke out at energy facilities, including in Moscow. - "Ukraine’s allies have imposed restrictions that prevent it from using many weapons inside Russia, especially for long-range strikes, which Kyiv says would limit Russia’s capacity to carry out attacks on civilians. Ukraine has relied instead on domestically produced drones to strike targets deep inside Russia."

Musk’s Twitter investors have lost billions in value: Elon Musk bought Twitter with a combination of his own money, bank loans and capital raised from friends and associates. Here’s how far his investors are underwater.

Science is rewriting the history of horse domestication: As they spread, horses reshaped ecology, social structures and economies at a never-before-seen scale.

Opinion We escaped from Afghanistan. We landed in Houston. Where are we now?: Reflections on the anniversary of the U.S. withdrawal and a dangerous journey.

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 2024-05-22

Heart checkups you should have and those you can probably skip: Some tests have been found to be used far too often, at little benefit.

Oman to expel dozens of ex-Guantánamo detainees: As the Biden administration considers the transfer of Guantánamo detainees to Oman, 28 Yemenis who were taken in years ago say they now are being forced out.

Unsealed motions in Trump’s Fla. case suggest new evidence of possible obstruction: The long-shot motions, which were strongly opposed by prosecutors, claim the indictment should be dismissed because of improper investigatory tactics.

Montana’s real estate bonanza turns political as property taxes soar: The downside of the pandemic-powered boom has gripped state legislatures across the West and is a hot campaign issue in Montana’s gubernatorial race.

A Taliban revenge killing prompts questions, removal of an acclaimed documentary: National Geographic has pulled the Emmy-winning film “Retrograde” from its streaming platforms after criticism from veterans and inquiries from The Washington Post.

Reading archive 2024-02-19

Anti-Trump Burnout: The Resistance Says It’s Exhausted: Bracing for yet another election against Donald Trump, America’s liberals are feeling the fatigue. “We’re kind of, like, crises-ed out,” one Democrat said.

The Taliban vowed to change Kabul. The city may be starting to change the Taliban.

Opinion  Why the U.S. should start telling the whole truth about Israeli nukes

Meet the Delaware judge who keeps foiling Elon Musk: Kathaleen McCormick’s no-nonsense rulings have earned the Tesla chief’s ire -— and the corporate law world’s respect

Biden, Trump campaign efforts in Michigan show a sharp contrast in tone: The Biden team has aimed to overcome faint enthusiasm with old-fashioned community organizing, while Trump’s comeback bid hinges on his movement’s passion for his combative pitch

Reading archive 2023-11-17

Canada’s most prominent Indigenous icon might not be Indigenous

Opinion  The Supreme Court should have heeded Ketanji Brown Jackson’s wisdom

IBM pulls ads from X as Musk amplifies antisemitism: Billionaire’s latest controversial tweets come amid reports of major brands’ ads appearing next to pro-Nazi content

Deported Afghans return home by the thousands to unexpected welcome

As mass shootings multiplied, the horrific human cost was concealed: States reeling from gun violence made graphic imagery confidential — part of a charged debate over privacy and public awareness

TERROR ON REPEAT: A rare look at the devastation caused by AR-15 shootings - "In classroom 112, children who were killed were found huddled together in the corner."

Reading archive 2023-08-20

Vandalism, tantrums and narcissism: Entitled tourists are out of control: It’s the summer of bad tourists in some of the world’s busiest destinations

White House is torn over Joe Manchin’s fury at climate law he crafted: As White House officials weigh how much to give in to his demands, rift grows between president and senator from West Virginia - "One of the most heated debates surrounding the law is how to award a very lucrative tax credit — valued at billions of dollars — to manufacturers of a new fuel called green hydrogen. The fuel can be used to power factories, trucks and planes without creating any carbon emissions. But it requires an immense amount of energy to make. If it is made with polluting energy such as natural gas or coal, researchers warn, producing large amounts of it could ultimately make global warming worse."

Cheating allegations in D.C. Little League put high-powered parents at war

Opinion  This is how the U.S. is treating Afghans who helped us

Opinion  Argentina’s angry polarization is a warning for the United States

Opinion  Trump triggers the politics of emergency

Reading archive 2023-06-23

After Taliban bans opium, a guilt-racked commander winks at harvest

As D.C. eyes Commanders, tension with the city’s other pro teams simmers

Reading archive 2023-02-28

How a disputed $55M loan plays into feds' probe of Commanders

Daniel Snyder’s demands anger NFL owners, renew talk of voting him out

How does the brain age across the lifespan? New studies offer clues.: Our brains are built to change over our lifetime, meeting the challenges set by every life stage.

Opinion  The House was supposed to grow with population. It didn’t. Let’s fix that. - "For starters, with today’s high ratio of lawmakers to residents, representatives are too removed from their constituents. Constituent services are strained. Smaller districts would mean better responsiveness, which would align with the principle of popular sovereignty. 

"Relatedly, Congress has a much larger budget to track and manage, and many more agencies to review, than it did a century ago. More House members would make for more effective legislative oversight of the executive branch. That aligns with the principle of republican safety. 

"Third, the smaller the district, the less expensive the campaign, and the less politicians will be dependent on donors, instead of the people, as the principle of due dependence requires. 

"Fourth, a bigger House with smaller districts would enhance equal protection and inclusivity. More seats would mean more shots; smaller districts would give candidates from minority groups and nontraditional backgrounds a more feasible path to electoral victory."

Artificial sweetener linked to higher heart attack risk, study says

Poor U.S. planning in Afghanistan helped Taliban take over, watchdog says - "According to the latest SIGAR report, an agreement signed with the Taliban by the Trump administration in 2020 facilitated the unraveling, 'resulting in a sense of abandonment' in Afghan government forces and the population. 'The agreement set in motion a series of events crucial to understanding the [Afghan security forces’] collapse,' it said."

Column: Contrary to latest claims, there’s still not a speck of evidence that COVID escaped from a Chinese lab - "One question prompted by the Journal’s report concerns its timing. It comes just as the Republican majority in the House is gearing up to promote the lab leak theory. The onslaught is likely to start Tuesday, when a committee on China-U.S. relations headed by Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) holds its first hearing."

Reading archive 2023-02-22

In wake of Ukraine war, U.S. and allies are hunting down Russian spies: Officials caution that Russia retains significant capabilities despite exposure of multiple operatives in Europe

Ex-ISIS teen bride Shamima Begum loses appeal to regain British citizenship

Notice of Infractions: Notice No. U 100286

Pythons are snacking on GPS-wearing opossums that give up their locations

Europe awakens to the threat of sabotage by Russian agents: Attacks on critical infrastructure from France to Denmark bear the hallmark of Russian operatives, experts say.

Poland reviews security after divers found near key port

Putin, czar with no empire, needs military victory for his own survival

Where U.S. house prices may be most overvalued as climate change worsens: While individual homeowners stand to collectively lose billions as hurricanes and heavy rains intensify flooding, local governments that rely on property taxes also could suffer crippling decreases in revenue

Meet the climate scientist helping guide Biden on spy agencies: Kim Cobb answers questions about her hopes to infuse Biden’s intelligence discussions with climate expertise

Arizona’s top prosecutor concealed records debunking election fraud claims: Newly released documents show how Republican Mark Brnovich publicized an incomplete account of his office’s probe of the 2020 election in Maricopa County - "Sonny Borrelli, a GOP state senator who had alleged a coverup of election irregularities, did not repeat those claims during an interview but did provide what he said was the name of a deceased voter, the memo stated. Investigators learned that the alleged deceased voter was alive, had not voted and was not a resident of Arizona."

Georgia juror unsettles Trump investigation with revealing interviews: Emily Kohrs may have added to the challenge for Fulton County D.A. Fani Willis, whose investigation has come under scrutiny for what some have described legal and ethical missteps

National Zoo debuts a serene new habitat for birds and humans: Historic bird building re-creates the quiet habitats of migratory birds that visitors can experience

Montgomery turned a road into a park. Residents want the street back. - "To solve the cut-through conundrum, Montgomery Parks decided keep the road open but restrict traffic to two lanes from Arlington to Dorset in late-2022. The result, traffic studies showed, was healthy flow on Little Falls and an end to cut-through traffic in the Kenwood neighborhood. 

"But some residents refute the data presented by public officials, because it does not match what they claim to be seeing with their own eyes." [ed. note: fucking lol]

Inside the Taliban campaign to forge a religious emirate: Afghanistan’s new rulers are replacing civil rights with ‘God’s law’

ALEX JONES ON ALLEGED FBI MONITORING OF NICK FUENTES: ‘IT’S A TRAP’

Reading archive 2023-02-05

China blames U.S. politics for ‘overreaction’ to suspected spy balloon

Trump Denies Pentagon’s Claim That China Flew Balloons Over U.S. During His Term: “China had too much respect for ‘TRUMP,’" the former president wrote, calling the Pentagon's claim of "at least three" incidents "fake disinformation."

The Colorado River drought crisis: How did this happen? Can it be fixed?

Land-dwelling rats are upending life for coral reef fish: When rats invade tropical islands, they can trigger a chain reaction that reverberates all the way to coral reefs, researchers say - "Bathed in smelly guano, algae around bird-filled islands is more nutritious, previous research has shown. Both coral and fish appear to grow faster around rat-free islands. Scientists have found the fertilizing effect of guano, too, from the Scattered Islands near Madagascar to Fiji in the South Pacific."

The deepening chill of Afghanistan’s second Taliban winter: Washing clothes in the snow, heating homes with scavenged trash, families struggle to survive

Meet Nimbee, the mascot who scorns bike lanes, development and change: Nimbee wants his hive, and yours, left alone — and he’s not afraid to sting (with words) anyone who disagrees with him - "'I dislike anyone or anything that threatens to change my neighborhood from what it was like the day I moved here. Any change that happened up until that moment is totally cool, though, and should be given historic preservation protection in perpetuity.' ...

"'I’m totally for affordable housing! I’m also for multi-family housing, density, public transit, and all kinds of things like that. I just don’t want any of it near me, on the way to where I’m going, or any place where I would have to even look at it. That’s all.'"

Comparing green funeral options, from composting to natural burial to water cremation: Throwing a funeral that leaves Earth a bit better off, maybe

Spending time in nature may protect against the risk of dementia: Older adults who lived in an area with more green space had a lower rate of hospitalization for Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, a large study showed

Opinion  Artificial light harms our bodies and souls. It doesn’t have to be this way. - "Too often, city planners assume adding more light is an effective way to address crime. Yet many lights are used in ways — unshielded and shining into the sky, blazing over empty parking lots through the wee small hours — that serve little purpose. While artificial light at night might make us feel safer, there is no clear evidence that it actually improves our safety."

Opinion  D.C. must address its crime issue - "We have funded violence interrupters and social workers for 30 years. This is not a new idea. Unfortunately, it has never worked. Let’s figure out why before spending more money. 

"At a recent meeting, Police Chief Robert J. Contee III said one young man told him people don’t commit as many crimes in Maryland and Virginia because 'they don’t play.' Well, if we want a safer city for our residents, we should create the same atmosphere here: We don’t play."