Reading archive 2026-08

Norway became a global salmon behemoth. Now it's facing the consequences

Maine’s Democratic Senate candidate touts his rural appeal. His hometown has mixed feelings.: In Allagash, a hamlet of some 200 people near Canada, residents are sharply divided over Troy Jackson.

Attack ads portraying progressive candidate as sexist roil key Michigan Senate race: The candidate’s barbed wit sparked attack ads that portray him as disrespectful to women. He says that’s a racist trope.

Loomer’s Ukraine reversal deepens split in Trump’s ‘America First’ movement: Influential MAGA blogger and former Kyiv critic Laura Loomer expects to visit the president to advocate for the U.S.-Ukraine alliance.

How rogue officers turned a nationwide camera network into a tool for stalking: Flock’s array of license-plate cameras was built to fight crime. But at least 50 law enforcement officers were charged with or accused of misusing it and other systems.

My company’s drones hit Russia — and showed what the Pentagon doesn’t know: Modern war rewards speed and redundancy, not perfect weapons from a single supplier.

After big win, left-leaning slate seeks to flex power in D.C.’s Democratic Party: A group of left-leaning candidates, Free DC Slate, won 36 of 48 seats up for grabs on the D.C. Democratic State Committee.

I befriended my neighborhood crow. You can, too.: Reflections — and expert tips — on building bonds with corvids.

Reading archive 2025-06-17

Minnesota shooting suspect went from youthful evangelizer to far-right zealot: Residents in Vance Boelter’s hometown are struggling to reconcile what they knew of him with the killing of a Minnesota state lawmaker and her husband.

Minnesota senator confronts colleague for ‘terrible’ post on shooting: In a post on Sunday, Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), appeared to blame the killings on the political left. Sen. Tina Smith sought him out to chat.

Senate overhauls Trump’s tax bill, setting up brawl with the House: The chamber suggests cuts to the child tax credit and SALT and is more heavy-handed on cuts to Medicaid than the legislation the House passed in May.

Trump officials reverse guidance exempting farms, hotels from immigration raids: ICE agents have been told to continue conducting enforcement operations at agricultural businesses despite concerns about negative effects on the food industry.

Russia fears Israel’s conflict with Iran could cost it another Mideast ally: When Israel first started bombing Iran, many in Russia saw it as an opportunity, drawing support and attention away from Ukraine.

How long will it take for U.S. gas prices to react to Middle East conflict?: Gas prices are on their way up, but the impact has been modest. That could change.

Trash sucks: A Norwegian city uses vacuum tubes to whisk waste away: Bergen, Norway, has been building one of the world’s most advanced trash systems in its 955-year-old city center.

It looks like a golf cart, maxes out at 25 mph and could be your next city car: Electric low-speed vehicles, already popular in Europe and Asia, could offer a transportation compromise between full-sized cars and e-bikes.

How to live well for less: Hacks for new grads and the rest of your life: New tools make it even easier to save money and live lighter on the planet. Here’s a roundup.

‘This War Is Not Helping Us’: Members of Iran’s opposition want change, and fear for their lives.

Putin Isn’t Actually Enjoying This Trump is turning out to be a liability for the Kremlin.

Israel's U.S.-Backed Aggression Reaches Its Iraq-War Moment: If Oct. 7 was Israel's Sept. 11, now it's at the phase of making an unsupportable WMD claim to launch the war it's long wanted. But we say no to war with Iran

Reading archive 2025-06-04

Oklahoma parents fight new curriculum on 2020 election ‘discrepancies’: A lawsuit alleges that state superintendent Ryan Walters added a provision on election questions without notifying some board members before they voted.

Two Chinese nationals charged with smuggling toxic fungus into U.S.: A University of Michigan researcher and her boyfriend are accused of trying to smuggle a “dangerous biological pathogen” that can harm crops into the U.S.

It’s tariff season. Do you know where your clothes are made?: Amid an onslaught of tariffs that are increasing the costs of such things as Hermès bags and their knockoffs on Shein, the question of where something is made has taken on a new urgency.

Capital One Arena renovations are underway. Here’s what to expect.: Many changes scheduled to be completed ahead of the 2025-26 Washington Capitals and Wizards seasons will go unnoticed by fans because the initial work will be focused on the building’s event level.

Most new cars in Norway are EVs. How a freezing country beat range anxiety.: A visit to the northernmost region in Europe’s northernmost country offers a window into how to make electric vehicles the car of choice. - "Norway’s EV experiment has been made possible by something of a paradox: The country is Europe’s largest oil and gas producer, which helps support Norwegians’ aspiration to live green. Norway has invested its fossil fuel profits into what has become the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund, a nest egg worth $1.7 trillion. Returns from that fund help cover government expenses, which in turn makes it easier to accommodate climate-friendly tax exemptions."

Biden Fumbled the Energy Debate. But Another World Leader Won on Clean Power.: Climate doesn’t usually win elections — but it can lose them. Australia is breaking the political logjam.

Released early in a murder case, D.C. man gets 60-year term for new killing: Darrell Moore was freed after 26 years under a D.C. law aimed giving people second chances --- and eight months later, he fatally shot a man, a jury concluded.

Let us count the 3,515 ways in which Democrats are lame - "The real reason for the surfeit of why-Democrats-suck critiques is that Democrats themselves love to engage in anguished soul-searching. Republicans did an autopsy after their 2012 loss, summarily rejected all its recommendations and then won the next presidential election. But Democrats love self-loathing."

Thousands of Ukraine’s children vanished into Russia. This one made it back.: Illia’s mother died in the siege of Mariupol and Russian officials put him up for adoption — until his grandmother traveled into Russia to bring him home.

Democratic Party is at risk of becoming ‘roadkill,’ warns Tim Walz: The Minnesota governor unleashed harsh language during appearances this weekend, in the clearest signs yet that he is weighing a bid for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028.

U.S. vet from WWII is honored in Europe, showered with gratitude at age 99: Harry Humason, who helped liberate Europe from the Nazis, was shocked when hundreds of grateful Czech citizens donated to pay for his travels.

Unease at F.B.I. Intensifies as Patel Ousts Top Officials: Senior executives are being pushed out and the director, Kash Patel, is more freely using polygraph tests to tamp down on news leaks about leadership decisions and behavior.

Reading archive 2023-01-17

China’s first population decline in 60 years sounds demographic alarm

Top U.S. general meets Ukrainian counterpart near edge of war zone: It was the first in-person meeting between Gen. Mark Milley and Gen. Valery Zaluzhny. Milley shared his impressions of a Ukrainian unit training with U.S. troops, aides said.

Former commander in Russia’s Wagner Group seeking asylum, Norway says

Transgender woman killed in D.C. ‘just wanted a chance at life’: Jasmine ‘Star’ Mack was killed Jan. 7. Advocates say they believe she is the first transgender person in the country to be violently killed this year.

D.C. Council overrides mayor’s veto of controversial new criminal code: Law enforcement leaders had expressed concern about the bill, which reduces some maximum sentences and allows for jury trials in nearly all misdemeanor cases

D.C. Council is rewriting the criminal code. Not everyone is happy.: Police and court officials say some proposals would strain a court system that is already stretched thin - "Doug Buchanan, a spokesperson for the D.C. courts, said in a statement that the Superior Court anticipates more than 20 judicial vacancies by the end of 2023 and that the court is 'stretched to the limit.' He added that 'without swift and immediate action from Federal lawmakers to address the ongoing judicial vacancy crisis within the DC Courts, our ability to sustain an even greater workload than we are currently enduring is not feasible nor is it realistic.'"

Who’s responsible for D.C. violence? Ask the youths closest to it.: Adults ought to stop blaming children for violence and look at themselves

Korean War wall of names is said to be riddled with errors, omissions: Misspellings and other mistakes abound on the wall of names that was unveiled in July

Exxon Knew about Climate Change almost 40 years ago: A new investigation shows the oil company understood the science before it became a public issue and spent millions to promote misinformation [ed. note: from 2015]

Tom Selleck 'stole water for ranch' [ed. note: from 2015]

Reading archive 2022-10-08

The U.S. is the world’s largest oil producer. You’ll still pay more for gas.: The United States’ role in the global oil market, explained

Amid Ukrainian taunts, Russia scrambles to salvage Crimean Bridge after fiery explosion

Norway is portrayed as both hero and villain in Europe’s energy crisis - "In private, E.U. officials and diplomats concede that it is awkward for the bloc to have spent 2021 telling Norway not to drill in the arctic because of climate change, only to spend 2022 hounding them for discounts on fossil fuel. But the war has changed the game, one E.U. official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations. Calling peace-promoting, aid-delivering Norway a war profiteer 'punches them where it hurts.'"

Reading archive 2018-02-05

Republican lawmakers distance themselves from Trump on memo

Inside the FBI: Anger, worry, work — and fears of lasting damage

Trump’s latest stunt is about to blow up in his face - "It is still very possible that President Trump could use the Nunes memo as a pretext to try to quash or constrain special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s probe. Trump tweeted over the weekend that the memo “totally vindicates” his claim that the investigation is a “witch hunt,” which is an absurd lie in every possible respect, but it shows he’s still mulling a move on Mueller."

This is how Justin Timberlake lost the Super Bowl

Justin Timberlake Just Wasn’t Made for These Times: On his new album, the hermetic ‘Man of the Woods,’ the superstar entertainer just wants to get away from it all. Unfortunately, pop music and what we ask of its stars, has changed radically. And JT can’t keep up.

Boycott the Republican Party: If conservatives want to save the GOP from itself, they need to vote mindlessly and mechanically against its nominees. - "We understand why Republicans, even moderate ones, are reluctant to cross party lines. Party, today, is identity. But in the through-the-looking-glass era of Donald Trump, the best thing Republicans can do for their party is vote against it."

House panel clears release of Democrats’ rebuttal to GOP memo, forcing showdown with Trump

Trump thought the British were protesting their health service. They weren’t.

AN ARCTIC SPY MYSTERY: An arrest in Moscow shakes Norway’s far north

Kimberly-Clark Uses GOP Tax Break to Sucker Punch Wisconsin Workers

Kimberly-Clark to use savings from tax cuts to pay for layoffs