Reading archive 2025-01-20

California isn’t the only place where insurers are dropping homeowners: Insurance “nonrenewal” rates also have been climbing in Florida, Louisiana and North Carolina, federal data shows --- all states hit hard by climate change.

Forget ‘they go low, we go high’: This influencer wants Democrats to get mean: Meet Suzanne Lambert, the Arlington-based TikTok influencer going viral by being a “Regina George liberal.”

Pressure builds on RFK Jr. as confirmation hearing remains unscheduled: Trump’s pick to lead HHS is facing 175 questions from Elizabeth Warren, skepticism from Mike Pence and delays related to his disclosure forms.

How ‘Mild Bill’ Burns led a covert CIA campaign in Ukraine: Burns’s steadfast efforts mark a key chapter in his decades-long intelligence duel with Putin.

For this Latino family, voting for Trump was part of preserving their American Dream: But they’re waiting to see whether he keeps his promises.

For Trump’s national security adviser, Afghanistan still looms large: Michael Waltz, a Green Beret lauded for valor in combat, opposed Trump’s 2020 deal with the Taliban as well as Biden’s 2021 pullout. He has warned of the risk of another 9/11.

What the North Koreans took into battle against Ukraine: Weapons and notes left on dead North Korean troops in Russia give Ukraine a glimpse into their mindset — and show how they are quickly adapting to modern war.

Trump readies massive shift in U.S. economy on eve of inauguration: The incoming president and Republican allies are beginning to plot out major changes to federal taxes and spending as they prepare to take control of Washington.

Accidents, not Russian sabotage, behind undersea cable damage, officials say: An emerging consensus among U.S. and European security services holds that accidents were the cause of damage to Baltic seabed energy and communications lines.es to federal taxes and spending as they prepare to take control of Washington. - "Mike Plunkett, a naval expert at security research firm Janes, said that 'aside from a very loud splash, there will also be a lot of noise from the anchor chain paying out through the hawsehole.' He described the chances of three anchor-dropping incidents in the Baltic region since 2023 as 'vanishingly small,' although not zero. But he said it was extremely difficult to prove intentional sabotage."

She waited decades to report her abuse. At 81, police say, he confessed.: For 44 years, she had thought about making the call. When she finally did, she assumed nothing would come of it.

The GOP’s dilemma on Trump’s TikTok flip-flop: The situation previews a series of looming clashes between Trump’s personal interests and lawmakers’ professed principles.

Trump executive order will attempt to end birthright citizenship: The president plans to take at least 10 actions related to the border or immigration, including ramping up deportations and suspending refugee resettlement.

Supreme Court to hear case on opting out of lessons with LGBTQ+ books: Parents in Montgomery County, Maryland, want to be able to opt out of instruction on gender and sexuality that they say goes against their religious convictions.

D.C. police captain alleges he was punished for taking parental leave as a gay man: In a lawsuit, Capt. Paul Hrebenak argues the department treated him differently than colleagues who also took leave.

Scores of career State Dept. diplomats resign before Trump’s inauguration: Trump’s team requested the high-level resignations as the president-elect prepares a sharp break with the Biden administration.

Reading archive 2024-12-21 through 2024-12-26

"Impossible" success: Quantum teleportation on the internet is set to change the world

Woman rescued from burning car after crashing into D.C. building: The building in Northeast Washington partially collapsed.

Trump wants federal workers back in the office. It may be a tall task.: President-elect Donald Trump’s plans for a return-to-office mandate for federal workers will face stiff resistance and union contracts that guarantee remote work.

Finland seizes ship in probe of undersea cable damage: Damage to the power cable in the Baltic Sea is the latest in a spate of murky disruptions to undersea cables that have put European authorities on high alert.

After backing Trump, low-income voters hope he doesn’t slash their benefits: Voters in the struggling Pennsylvania city of New Castle backed Trump hoping he’d curb inflation. But the incoming president will be under pressure to cut spending.

Who controls Greenland, and why does Trump want to buy it?: The Arctic island is not for sale, its own government and that of Denmark continue to emphasize.

Maryland lands D.C. fighter jets in football stadium deal: D.C.'s Air National Guard fighter squadron will move under the Maryland National Guard’s authority, a swap negotiated as part of the deal to let the city regain control of the RFK Stadium site.

Inside the RFK bill stunner: Fighter jets and a promise to a D.C. nemesis: One by one, Mayor Muriel E. Bowser and her allies tackled objections from the bill’s chief opponents to carve out a last-minute path to a win in the Senate.

Senate adjourns without confirming D.C. judges as ‘vacancy crisis’ persists: Local officials decried the court vacancies as a problem for public safety.

The ‘Carol of the Bells’ comes from Ukraine’s fight for independence: It was a folk song performed across the world as “cultural diplomacy” by an embattled nation being devoured by Russians in 1922.

Insurance is what makes U.S. health-care prices so high: America needs a working marketplace where patients are the primary customers.

For some Latinos, ‘prosperity gospel’ led them to Trump: The set of beliefs has overtaken traditional theologies centered on the poor. Some experts say that helps explain a shift among Latino Christians to Trump.

Green crabs have invaded habitats. Sea otters might be the solution.: A recent study found sea otters are eating thousands of green crabs at a California reserve, reducing the invasive species’ population.

Reading archive 2024-10-01

Opinion  How ‘obesity first’ health care is transforming medicine: Doctors are increasingly addressing obesity as the root cause of other illnesses.

As a Finnish Zoo Returns Pandas to China, It Blames Costs, Not Geopolitics: Two pandas are heading back to China eight years early amid lower-than-hoped-for visitor numbers at a zoo in rural Finland, and after the pair didn't produce a cub.

Can You Get Rid of Your Front Lawn Without Offending the Neighbors?: It isn't easy or fast, but it can be done. Here's what worked for one couple.

Our Better Nature: Put the Brakes on Honey Bees – Our Future Depends on It: Honey bees are causing grave – and in some cases irreversible – harm to the environment.

Native Landscapes Can Be Hard to Plant. But Help Is Here.: The nonprofit group Wild Ones offers a free library of designs, with plants specific to your area — and you don’t have to be a member to use it.

Don’t believe the hype: AGI is far from inevitable - "If a company pops up claiming to have a machine that, when you press a button, it creates world peace, then you’d distrust it too. So why are we so quick to believe the promises of big tech who are driven by profit?"

Retired professor, accused of bilking wealthy friends, pleads guilty in NY: Lawrence Gray, who was accused of stealing valuable jewelry, pleaded guilty to fraud.

Before the floods, Asheville was called a ‘climate haven.’ Is anywhere safe?: As climate change leads to more severe hurricanes, mountain communities like Asheville, N.C., face growing flood danger.

Opinion The real reason 47,000 dockworkers are on strike: For American workers, this is one of the first great battles against advanced automation.

Port strike freezes shipping on East Coast, threatening shortages: Longshoremen’s union walkout follows last-minute efforts by the White House to avert a strike.

Tim Walz speaks loudly and carries a big schtick: But the vice-presidential pick best known for calling Donald Trump and JD Vance “weird” is a surprisingly risk-averse campaigner.

What to know about VP debate moderators Norah O’Donnell and Margaret Brennan: O’Donnell anchors CBS News’s evening newscast, while Brennan anchors Sunday morning’s “Face the Nation.”

Polls show big increase in Republicans planning to vote for abortion rights: In some states, that GOP number could even approach a majority.

This firefly delighted beachgoers. Now it’s flickering out of existence.: The U.S. government is proposing to declare the Bethany Beach firefly as threatened, the first time officials have sought to add a firefly to the Endangered Species Act list.

24 hours of MAGA misinformation: A small sampling of the inundation of false and dubious claims flowing from Donald Trump and his allies.

The 5 hurricane categories, explained

Basement-free buildings are better for the future climate: Politicians mull bans due to flooding, but costs and carbon emissions also a concern

California’s first plastic bag ban made things worse. Now it’s trying again

Reading archive 2023-05-18

Nuclear power helps bring down electricity prices by 75% in Finland

Reading archive 2022-05-25

This soldier fought for Finland, Nazi Germany and U.S. Special Forces

Donald Trump recalibrates his standing in GOP after primary setbacks: The former president is seeking out information on potential 2024 rivals after defeats for his chosen candidates raise questions about his continued dominance of the Republican Party

5 GOP candidates in Michigan ineligible after fraud, election office says

Jan. 6 panel is told that Trump indicated support for hanging Pence during insurrection

Opinion  Why Trump’s private comment about hanging Mike Pence really matters

Opinion  As Trump loses kingmaker status, he becomes more dangerous

D.C. elections: Where the Democratic attorney general candidates stand

As office-centric downtowns struggle, suburbs cater to the laptop crowd: Developers are adding outdoor co-working space — bocce ball, anyone? — to attract remote workers to stores and restaurants

As offices stay empty, downtown D.C. looks for post-pandemic identity

Union Station operator blasts Amtrak bid to take over by eminent domain: Under federal code, Amtrak has authority to acquire property necessary for the use of intercity passenger rail operations

Concerns about traffic, transit emerge in potential Commanders move

Reading archive 2022-05-19

Four maps explain how Sweden and Finland could alter NATO’s security

The surprising downside of #NoMowMay: Not cutting your lawn and letting dandelions grow for a month is touted as an easy way to help bees. But one-size-fits-all solutions don't work for conservation.

Dispatcher may be fired for allegedly hanging up on Tops worker

ESPN analysis: NBA owners, mum on China relationship, have more than $10 billion invested there

Reading archive 2022-05-17

Buffalo shooting suspect wrote of plans 5 months ago, messages show

Sweden joins Finland in seeking NATO membership: President Vladimir Putin’s response is muted compared to previous statements by Russian officials

Christian nationalism is shaping a Pa. primary — and a GOP shift: Doug Mastriano, a retired Army colonel and Jan. 6 marcher who is running for governor of Pennsylvania, represents a more explicit push for Christian dominance - "There were lots of references to the Constitution and liberty and freedom, but when asked for specifics, people cited things like a child’s professor teaching them about Black Lives Matter or someone they knew who ran a day care and came into contact with LGBT parents or a child who was nonbinary."

Reading archive 2022-05-16

Flood of weapons to Ukraine raises fear of arms smuggling: Vague U.S. assurances spark concern about lost military equipment in Ukraine, a longtime hub of arms trafficking

A rural county in Iowa that supported Trump turns to Latinos to grow - "During one meeting in Jefferson, a man who lives just outside the county questioned whether Latinos would be here legally. 'Are they going to bus them in from Texas?' he asked, referring to the influx on the southwest border. 

"Other residents are enthusiastic, aware that Latino residents and businesses have revitalized other Iowa cities such as Storm Lake and Denison.

"'I’m glad that it’s getting done,' said Marilyn Schwartzkopf, 73, a Democrat who has been practicing her Spanish to help newcomers, as she volunteered at the county’s historical museum in Jefferson. 'We need some diversity here. We’re all too old and White.'"

'Provide some cover': New Eastman emails shed light on his push to overturn Biden's win: He suggested a way for Pennsylvania legislators to cancel Joe Biden's win.

Ukraine: The spy war within the war

Democracy is at stake in the midterms. The media must convey that.: We journalists have to try harder and find new ways to convey to voters how badly things could turn out

Leading GOP candidates in Pennsylvania were in Washington on Jan. 6: Mastriano, Barnette among growing number nationally who have made false claims of election fraud a key part of their pitch

A civil war among neighbors over Confederate-themed streets

‘A magnet for rip-off artists’: Fraud siphoned billions from pandemic unemployment benefits: Identity theft and other sophisticated criminal schemes contributed to potentially $163 billion in waste, while inflicting harm on unwitting victims.

Ten Tips for Visiting Gardens with Non-Gardeners

Honeybees are far too insufficient to supply optimum pollination services in agricultural systems worldwide

Why Turkey dissents on Finland and Sweden joining NATO and why it matters

Dr. Oz’s Trump-infused Senate run is coming down to the wire: Ahead of his tight Republican primary, some call him a Pennsylvania carpetbagger — while others say he’s the future of the Republican party

Reading archive 2022-05-13

The faux outrage that Biden is stockpiling baby formula for undocumented immigrants

How the addition of Finland and Sweden would change NATO

Biden pivots to Asia as Ukraine war rages on - "'The ASEAN approach is not a matter of colonialism or historical hostility or sentimentality, it’s a classic balance of power game,' Renato Cruz de Castro, an academic at De La Salle University in Manila, told Politico. 'China’s economic presence is growing, but ASEAN countries are generally suspicious of China.'"

Georgia county under scrutiny after claim of post-election breach: Effort by county official to investigate 2020 contest underscores growing threat to election security, experts say

Why some Black churches aren’t elated about the possible end of Roe

Opinion  J.D. Vance, migrant babies and the unhinged GOP enemy hunt - "Just when you thought our politics couldn’t get any dumber, this week brought two new GOP attacks that spectacularly defied expectations. The Biden administration, we were told, is redirecting scarce infant formula to migrant babies and might be deliberately importing fentanyl to kill virtuous heartland-dwelling supporters of Donald Trump.

...

"Of course, these claims aren’t meant as empirical depictions of policy problems. They are stories, ones featuring villains and victims. The key here is the relentless, never-ending search for ever more creative ways to stoke resentment, victimization and alarm about leftist enemies around every corner."

Reading archive 2022-05-01

How Putin’s brutal war in Ukraine pushed Finland toward NATO

Western artillery surging into Ukraine will reshape war with Russia

How the ‘jack-in-the-box’ flaw dooms some Russian tanks

Reading archive 2022-04-14

Brooklyn Nets owner Joe Tsai is the face of NBA's uneasy China relationship

Russia threatens to move nukes to Baltic region if Finland, Sweden join NATO

Elon Musk launches hostile takeover bid for Twitter: The Tesla CEO, who recently became the social media company’s largest shareholder, is offering $54.20 per share

Poland builds a border wall, even as it welcomes Ukrainian refugees

Here’s how The Post analyzed Hunter Biden’s laptop: Two experts confirm the veracity of thousands of emails, but say a thorough examination was stymied by missing data - "In their examinations, Green and Williams found evidence that people other than Hunter Biden had accessed the drive and written files to it, both before and after the initial stories in the New York Post and long after the laptop itself had been turned over to the FBI."

"Russia cannot afford to lose, so we need a kind of a victory": Sergey Karaganov on what Putin wants A former adviser to the Kremlin explains how Russia views the war in Ukraine, fears over Nato and China, and the fate of liberalism.

'We Are Tired of Killing': How Long Can Ukraine Trade Land for Blood?: A journey to the front lines with an elite unit of Ukrainian marines willing to sacrifice everything

A policing strategy abandoned after Breonna Taylor’s death spreads to other cities: At least nine jurisdictions either plan to or have adopted the crime-reduction strategy known as ‘place network investigations’ — a model that examines geographic connections that allow crime to flourish.

What Should America Do With Its Nuclear Waste?: Currently there are about 80 locations in 35 states where spent fuel is being stored, with no long-term plans for disposal.

Slain 15-year-old was shot near family’s new home in Columbia Heights: Malachi Jackson’s mother and grandmother say neighborhood tensions led to the teen’s shooting

Economic toll in Texas worsens as trucks remain stopped at Mexico border Gov. Greg Abbott has kept many of his new inspection policies in place despite pleas from businesses for relief

Perennial Sources of Russian Weakness [ed. note: from The Economist in 1854]

I Commanded U.S. Army Europe. Here’s What I Saw in the Russian and Ukrainian Armies.: The two armies at war today couldn’t be more different.

Reading archive 2022-04-13

Opinion: A Democrat erupts at Josh Hawley, and a ‘loudness’ gap is revealed - "We’re constantly told the American people hate Washington dysfunction. Yet McConnell knows he can cheerfully threaten something this obscenely destructive without fearing any political downside."

Lachlan Murdoch, once the ambivalent Fox heir, makes his views clear: The News Corp. co-chair, Rupert’s eldest son, left no mystery about his conservative politics in a fiery speech

Andrew Giuliani is test-driving his father’s legacy in New York: The Giuliani name may not be in good enough condition to get Andrew to Albany. But it’s still great for rolling through Queens.

U.S. HUNT FOR RUSSIAN OLIGARCHS’ HUGE FORTUNES FACES BARRIERS OFFSHORE

Higher interest rates could help, Powell says. Not everyone agrees.: The Federal Reserve has outlined a fix it says can help with surging prices and a tight labor market. Economists say it’s much more complicated.

Trump endorses Dr. Oz in Pennsylvania Senate race, a key battleground: The former president wades into a closely watched contest.

Opinion: CNN’s Brian Stelter blindsided by co-author of Fox News study

Backed-up pipes, stinky yards: Climate change is wrecking septic tanks

A Brit fighting in Ukraine said his unit would surrender. He’s now missing.

Opinion: Why Biden’s pandering trip to the ‘heartland’ is worthwhile - "If recent experience has taught us anything, it’s that 'heartland' voters don’t much care whether politicians undertake policy initiatives that actually help them. They’re far more concerned about whether those politicians pander effectively to their feelings — sometimes their hopes and dreams, but more often their fears and resentments. 

"My favorite recent example comes from 2016, when Hillary Clinton was excoriated for being honest about the fact that coal is a dying industry — while saying that she wanted to give direct help to the communities that are already suffering because of its decline. Meanwhile, Donald Trump told West Virginia voters, 'For those miners, get ready because you’re going to be working your asses off,' to thunderous cheers.

"It was a promise that could never be kept, and anyone with any sense knew it. In 2016, the last year before Trump took office, government data show coal industry employment at just under 52,000, already a tiny number. By the spring of 2021, after he left office, the number was down to under 37,000. Trump did not stop the decline of the coal industry. 

"But here’s the politically important part: Voters in coal country didn’t mind that Trump didn’t improve their lives in the way he said he would. They were as devoted to him as ever in 2020, if not more so."

Finland moves closer to joining NATO: Invasion of Ukraine may bring the alliance nearer to Russia’s doorstep

Reading archive 2022-03-03

Opinion: The Supreme Court gets a taste of its own medicine

How Putin tried — and failed — to protect the ruble from sanctions: The ruble has plunged after unprecedented sanctions took aim at Russia’s central bank

NATO Issue in Sweden, Finland Pits Anxious Public Against Cautious Politicians

Deep Dive: The U.S. military program to arm Ukraine with Javelin anti-tank missiles

Ukraine jets hit Russian column; Russia has used thermobarics, Ukraine military says

Marine Corps launches new littoral unit that US adversaries reportedly hate

A Russian businessman has put a $1 million bounty on Vladimir Putin's head, calling for military officers to arrest him as a war criminal

Alex Ovechkin in spotlight over Vladimir Putin friendship

In one week of war, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine may have veered history in a new direction

The gory online campaign Ukraine hopes will sow anti-Putin dissent probably violates the Geneva Conventions: The Ukrainian government has posted grisly photos and videos of killed and captured Russian soldiers in hopes of undermining the Kremlin’s onslaught. But military-justice experts argue the campaign violates international law.

Trump’s border wall has been breached more than 3,000 times by smugglers, CBP records show

Key Asian nations join global backlash against Russia, with an eye toward China

In Virginia, abandoned coal mines are transformed into solar farms: Six old mining sites owned by the Nature Conservancy will be some of the first utility-scale solar farms in the region — and the nonprofit group hopes the model can be replicated nationwide

Reading archive 2018-11-19

3 takeaways from Trump’s testy Fox News interview

Why Finland is so good at handling forest fires. Hint: It’s not because of raking.

How Extreme Weather Is Shrinking the Planet: With wildfires, heat waves, and rising sea levels, large tracts of the earth are at risk of becoming uninhabitable. But the fossil-fuel industry continues its assault on the facts.

The Brexit Fantasy Goes Down in Tears

Anti-vaccination stronghold in N.C. hit with state’s worst chickenpox outbreak in 2 decades

Ivanka Trump used a personal email account to send hundreds of emails about government business last year

‘Nothing on this page is real’: How lies become truth in online America

Jordan Peterson, Custodian of the Patriarchy: He says there’s a crisis in masculinity. Why won’t women — all these wives and witches — just behave?

Yes, Facebook made mistakes in 2016. But we weren’t the only ones.