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 2024-09-28

Hasan Nasrallah, Hezbollah leader and force in Middle East, is killed: The Shiite cleric, 64, grew Hezbollah from a Lebanese guerrilla movement into the region’s most capable paramilitary organization, and a leading foe of Israel.

Inside the Mark Robinson debacle: Panic, blame and pressure on Trump: Top Republicans, including the party’s current presidential nominee, long championed or enabled the gubernatorial nominee in North Carolina. Then it all came crashing down.

On private call, Arizona’s top Democrats debated a ‘dire’ ballot dilemma: The three state officials learned a computer glitch meant 98,000 voters had not provided proof of citizenship. In a candid phone call, they debated what to do.

How Kamala Harris remade Joe Biden’s campaign and revived Democratic chances: In short order, the Democratic presidential campaign, almost entirely inherited from Biden, found a new direction.

Meet the United Auto Workers members who could swing the election: At Ford’s Michigan Assembly auto plant, support is divided between strong camps of Trump enthusiasts, Harris devotees and undecided voters

The Money War: Washington targeted ‘corrupt’ mines. Workers paid the greatest price. [ed. note: sanctions definitely the right move here; company bribed officials, poisoned lake, evicted residents, paid security service to kill and rape protestors]

Has Washington rebounded from the pandemic? It depends where you look.: Washington D.C.’s recovery from the pandemic shows mixed results, with tourism rebounding but population declining.

D.C. Council aims to tighten housing policies as unpaid rent climbs: The proposed changes to an emergency rental assistance program and eviction policies come at a time of crisis for the city’s affordable housing sector. - "During the pandemic, D.C. made it easier to access ERAP funds by allowing residents to self-certify their need for assistance, instead of requiring documentation. That law, made permanent in 2022, also prevented people from being evicted while they had an ERAP application pending."

Reading archive 2024-01-12

Two Iowa counties an hour apart show America’s growing political divide: Rural Decatur County has moved sharply red, while suburban Dallas County has shifted the other direction

Opinion  GOP’s New Year’s resolution: Less legislating, more Hunter Biden porn

Opinion  The media’s worst lapse: Refusing to identify Trump as a cult leader - "The journey to Rust Belt diners became a cliché amid the newfound fascination with aggrieved White working-class Americans. But the theory that such voters were economic casualties of globalization turned out to be false. Surveys and analyses generally found that racial resentment and cultural panic, not economic distress, fueled their affinity for a would-be strongman."

Behind closed doors, Trump eyes second round of corporate tax cuts: Publicly, the Trump campaign is saying its priority is tax relief for working-class families and small businesses

Democratic group plans $140 million voter testimonial onslaught against Donald Trump: The effort will focus on appealing to working class women in the northern swing states of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin

‘Okay, it’s done!’ Stranger floors parents, crochets their baby a hat mid-flight.: ‘We were totally shocked, as were the other passengers around us,’ said Kelly Levine

‘Anti-pope.’ ‘Blasphemous.’ Criticism of Francis comes in strident terms.

How the Biden administration helped avoid a coup in Guatemala - "On Sunday, Arévalo is to be sworn in, in what could be a turning point for a nation that’s hemorrhaged migrants to the United States. He’s reaching Inauguration Day in large part because of the determination of Guatemalan citizens fed up with corruption. But U.S. diplomats played a key role, in one of the Biden administration’s most aggressive campaigns to shore up democracy in the hemisphere."

Substack’s woes deepen as tech blog leaves over Nazi content: Journalist Casey Newton’s publication Platformer is cutting ties with the platform

Maryland hails ‘remarkable’ year for young oysters in the Chesapeake Bay

‘God & Country’ film spotlights Christian nationalism’s threat to democracy