Reading archive 2026-07-24

The report oil companies are worried about: Climate attribution science: New report says our ability to tie weather damages to climate change is improving. - "The reason the report has stirred up controversy ahead of its release is that the fossil fuel industry views it as a threat. The industry has faced a large number of lawsuits accusing it of everything from fraudulently misleading the public to being responsible for financial damages from weather events. It’s those latter suits that make this report a threat. By presenting attribution as normal science that we’re increasingly confident in, it raises the prospect that courts will allow the scientific evidence developed by the field to be used as evidence in the courtroom."

Here’s how your peanut butter jar — and nearly everything else — can be recycled: There’s a way to fix the American recycling system. It involves AI-powered sensors and massive machinery.

Road deaths up sharply in the nation’s capital, despite goal of reaching zero: D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser pledged to eliminate traffic deaths in the city. More than a decade later, they still haven’t gone down.

The U.S. saw the first ‘China Shock.’ Now the world gets the sequel.: Trump’s tariffs have helped stem the flow of inexpensive Chinese goods to the U.S., but European factories are suffering under a flood of imported cars and tech. - "Still, many Chinese companies manage to escape U.S. tariffs by shipping their U.S.-bound goods via countries such as Vietnam or Mexico, where they undergo a bit of final processing that masks their country of origin. U.S. imports this year from Vietnam, Mexico, Thailand and Cambodia are all up significantly.

...

"Chinese carmakers already can produce roughly twice as many cars each year as they can sell in China and are adding capacity for an additional 5 million vehicles, according to economist Brad Setser of the Council on Foreign Relations. With Chinese consumers tapped out, Chinese carmakers are accelerating their move into foreign markets."

Red wolves, once nearly wiped out, had a spring baby boom in North Carolina: The births are a boon to efforts to revive the species, which was once nearly hunted to extinction.

I’m from Nebraska. Here’s what wealth-tax advocates don’t realize.: Farmers will be hit hard by any levy that taxes asset value. - "Most of the proposed wealth taxes target billionaires, but the government is unlikely to limit itself to such high earners for long. Implementing a wealth tax would require an extensive new administrative bureaucracy. With that infrastructure in place, the temptation to extend the levy to people further down the income ladder would be too great. Washington has never seen a tax it didn’t want to expand." [ed. note: this is both a Slippery Slope argument and not true]

Saudi nuclear deal in doubt as Trump adds new condition regarding Israel: A day after the agreement was signed, the president laid out a new requirement: that the Saudis normalize relations with Israel.

House GOP is seeking to restrict D.C. from raising taxes: The House Oversight Committee passed a measure to restrict the District’s ability to change its tax code. - "George Derek Musgrove, history professor at University of Maryland at Baltimore County and co-author of Chocolate City: A History of Race and Democracy in the Nation’s Capital, says that while Republicans have long meddled in District affairs, he sees a shift in recent years: 'It’s straight up, let’s punish this Democratic enclave. Let’s starve them of money so they can’t do anything.'"

Why is Zelensky firing top leaders as Ukraine’s outlook improves?: Amid battlefield gains, President Volodymyr Zelensky removed popular officials in a major shake-up. - "But other factors also are likely in play in Zelensky’s shake-up, analysts said, including Fedorov’s emerging role as an anti-corruption force inside the military. 

"As minister, he had nudged defense contracts into open bidding and ordered audits of who was being paid what. In a country where reports of corruption in weapons procurement have generated scandals for years, that made him popular with the public and dangerous to many suppliers."

How D.C.'s "humanure" became garden gold

Why Japan wants to create its first modern spy agency since World War II: President Donald Trump’s push for Japanese self-reliance aligns with the long-standing desire of conservatives in Tokyo to build intelligence capabilities.

A Teen Reporter Searched for His Community in the Epstein Files. Adults Freaked Out: An Instagram post turned one California student newspaper into a free-speech flash point. The students say they were just doing their homework.

Every era gets the ‘Odyssey’ it deserves: Here’s how to prepare your brain for Christopher Nolan’s new adaptation.

What 700 readers taught me about ‘The Odyssey’: You emailed me in droves asking for the missing text in a column about a movie version of a poem. That’s how much we all care about stories.

Trump’s plan to paint the Eisenhower could damage the stone — and the law: The administration’s proposal risks harming both the historic building and the system of reviews that protects structures like it. - "Ordinarily, the General Services Administration would have to follow the law and solicit input from experts and the public, but Trump’s lawyers have written a Trojan Horse into this case, claiming the GSA has ceded those responsibilities and requirements to the White House, to which the National Historic Preservation Act and the National Environmental Policy Act do not apply."

Howard University unenrolls hundreds of freshmen days before move-in: The school says the 502 affected students failed to meet payment deadlines. Many students said they communicated forthcoming scholarships and financial aid to Howard.

Evangelists say they are heeding a biblical command to preach on flights: In-flight evangelists have preached sermons and busted out guitars in recent years. Some travelers lament that they “can’t even walk away.”

Knives are out for Vance in the GOP. His allies say it’s a coordinated ‘op.’: The vice president has faced a barrage of attacks recently that are unusual for their intensity and how early in the political calendar they are taking place. - "Critical posts poured in from prominent commentators including Ben Shapiro, Marc Thiessen and Batya Ungar-Sargon, as well as online right-wing influencers and little-known X users whose anti-Vance posts quickly gained traction. Some of the users who pledged to oppose Vance and support Rubio in 2028 had profiles that strongly suggested they aren’t American voters and are based in other countries." [ed. note: it's the Israelis]

9-year-old boy killed in crash in Northern Virginia while riding e-scooter: The boy was not wearing a helmet when he was struck by a minivan in the Herndon area of Fairfax County, according to police.

Reading archive 2026-04-30

Gun found during fight in Blake High School parking lot, police say: A short time later, a young man was taken to an area hospital with a gunshot wound. Police have not said if that victim is a student or not.

Trump administration seeks access to medical records of millions of federal workers

A D.C. mayoral hopeful’s close ties to unions are drawing new scrutiny: A complaint alleges Janeese Lewis George’s campaign is improperly sharing staff with unions tied to an independent expenditure committee backing her. The campaign denies it.

On chaotic day, Johnson navigates multiple internal revolts in House: Over hours on and around the chamber’s floor, the speaker and fellow Republican leaders cajoled holdouts on a surveillance bill, DHS funding and farm policy.

The invisible force making food less nutritious - "Ultimately, Myers said, the best way to protect human health is for people to stop releasing so much carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, which not only depletes the nutritional value of crops but leads to escalating heat waves, intensifying floods and lengthening droughts that hurt food production around the globe."

Maine Gov. Janet Mills drops out of race to unseat Republican Sen. Susan Collins: The primary had become a referendum on the Democratic establishment.

The terrible Michael Jackson movie exposes a central cultural question: The film is indefensible. The impulse to see it is deeply human.

An Untapped Energy Goldmine Is Buried Beneath the US—and No, It’s Not Oil: Massive lithium reserves in eastern states could replace 328 years of U.S. imports, according to new research by the U.S. Geological Survey.

As Saudis pull funding, LIV Golf seeks investors to continue: The Saudis spent billions backing the upstart PGA rival and luring top stars, but the league never found its footing. - "The financial scale of LIV’S failed effort was enormous. The PIF’s total investment is projected to surpass $6 billion, according to figures from Money in Sport, with the PIF spending at a rate of roughly $100 million per month in recent years. Tournament purses and bonuses alone are expected to approach $2 billion, while many top players received nine-figure signing deals. LIV’s U.K.-based entity reported losses of $461.8 million in 2024, and the overall venture was widely viewed as losing hundreds of millions annually."

Russia scales back Victory Day plans as Ukraine’s military reach expands: Moscow is reducing the footprint of its foremost annual military parade amid a wave of Ukrainian drone attacks inside Russia.

The Real Fight for the Smithsonian: Its museums, more than any others, shape the nation’s narrative. No wonder the country argues about it.

‘We Are Learning to Bully Back’: How Europe got Trump to cave on Greenland

The Sports Conspiracy That’s Too Easy to Believe: When the 49ers lost in the playoffs, some fans embraced a theory about electromagnetic waves instead of facing reality.

The Real Reason ICE Agents Wear Masks: Face coverings may work less to protect federal agents from danger than to make it easier for them to do unconstitutional things. - "It is not 'doxxing' federal agents for the public to know who they are. We are supposed to know who they are, because that is how we hold them accountable. This is why police officers wear visible badge numbers and name tags. The responsibilities they are given are not compatible with anonymity.

...

"According to an analysis by Alex Nowrasteh at the Cato Institute based on data from last year, "law enforcement officers who don't work at ICE or Border Patrol have a death rate 6.3 times higher than that of immigration enforcement officers." In fact, the report found, immigration agents are at no greater risk than regular people: 'The chance of an ICE or Border Patrol agent being murdered in the line of duty is about one in 94,549 per year, about 5.5 times less likely than a civilian being murdered.'

...

"On Sunday, ProPublica revealed the names of the two agents involved in the Pretti shooting: Border Patrol officer Jesus Ochoa and Customs and Border Protection officer Raymundo Gutierrez. Suffice it to say that two Hispanic Americans killing a white person trying to prevent them from harassing or deporting other Hispanic people, on the orders of Stephen Miller - a Jewish American whose ancestors fled pogroms in Eastern Europe - is a uniquely grotesque expression of the American melting pot in action."

Stop Meeting Students Where They Are: What I learned when I finally started assigning the hard reading again.

How America Lost Control of the Seas: Thanks to decades of misguided policy choices, the U.S. has an astonishing lack of maritime capacity.

Feudalism Is Our Future: What the next Dark Ages could look like - "In 2008, desperate for cash, Chicago privatized its parking meters, selling off the rights to all the revenue for 75 years to a group of investors led by Morgan Stanley. A 'true-up' provision in the contract requires the city to compensate investors for lost revenue when meters are taken out of service—a provision that weighs on decision making whenever the city considers projects that would eliminate meters or favor mass transit over cars. The rights to operate toll highways have been sold off by some jurisdictions to private companies, including foreign ones. The fine print in the contracts often prevents improvements to adjacent roads on the grounds that such enhancement would create undue competition. Private prisons generally put a quota clause into their agreements. States and municipalities may be hoping, as a matter of policy, to reduce their prison populations, but the beds in private prisons must be filled regardless."

Reading archive 2026-04-28

Researchers say remote Lake Superior island’s wolves are thriving as packs prey on moose

Clean energy pushes fossil-fuel power into reverse for ‘first time ever’

An AI trained on 13,000 virtual worlds just projected our renewable energy future: It beat the International Energy Agency's forecasts—and it says 2°C is still on the table

Why Trump’s ballroom can’t host the White House correspondents’ dinner: The White House Correspondents’ Dinner is an independent celebration of press freedoms. - "Let us also note the irony that the current president has barred Associated Press reporters from White House events and that his Federal Communications Commission chairman, Brendan Carr, threatens the independence of television journalists with metronomic regularity. But now Trump wants to host at the White House a dinner supposedly celebrating the press’s freedom from government coercion."

Ukraine took Russia’s best punch. It wants to teach Europe what it learned.: The country’s fighters gave the continent's defense chiefs a blunt message: You forgot how to fight. We can help.

A Trump-branded nuclear power project thrilled investors. Then came the crash.: Corporate drama and a stock plummet at Fermi America are raising questions about the sustainability of the wider artificial intelligence boom.

UAE to leave OPEC amid Hormuz oil crisis, a blow to Saudi Arabia: The departure weakens the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, long criticized by Trump, as the global economy reels from the Iran war energy shock.

MAHA’s Perfect Villain: Glyphosate highlights the movement’s horseshoe politics and has nothing to do with vaccines.

The Age of American Caesarism: The legal right spent decades empowering the presidency. Now it must reckon with the system it helped create. [ed. note: a conservative attempts and fails to reckon honestly about how the conservative legal movement endangers the republic]

The Pentagon May Not Be Telling Trump the Full Picture About the War: Vice President Vance is worried that the U.S. is running low on weapons. - "Pentagon leaders' positive portrayals present an incomplete picture at best, people familiar with intelligence assessments told us. According to those internal estimates, Iran retains two-thirds of its air force, the bulk of its missile-launching capability, and most of its small, fast boats, which can lay mines and harass traffic in the Strait of Hormuz. At least in terms of resuming stalled maritime commerce, 'those are the real threat,' one person told us."

Reading archive 2026-04-02

Police arrest suspect in gruesome slaying in historic D.C. neighborhood: The killing of Syed Hammad Hussain in his Logan Circle condominium started out as a random robbery, court documents say. - "Police said that hours after the robbery and killing, the second suspect was captured on surveillance video inside a pre-trial release facility in Southeast Washington. There, police said, he was seen adjusting a watch he was wearing that court documents say resembles a Cartier that belonged to Hussain."

Court tosses sentence for former clerk in scheme tied to 2020 election: The Colorado appeals court ordered a new sentence for Tina Peters, a former county elections official convicted for her efforts to boost Trump’s false claims.

Saudi Arabia’s record donation to the National Zoo buys more than an exhibit: In a $51.6 million act of animal diplomacy, the Saudis will fund a habitat for endangered Arabian leopards. - "RITM0260147Countries in the Gulf and their sovereign wealth funds have learned that institutional hesitation tends to fade when dollar amounts are high enough, which is one reason they will makes offers that are triple or quadruple market rates. Ask The Post AI Dive deeper “Among Gulf people with money, in general, people will straight up [say], ‘We don’t care what you really think of us. We can buy you and sell you,’” Koch said."

America Needs to Get Serious About Drones: The new age of war is already here, swarming over Barksdale Air Force Base.

The Real Religious ‘Renewal’ Happening in Gen Z: Some pastors and politicians claim that a Christian revival is afoot among young Americans. Nationwide data tell a different story. - "It's important not to overblow Gen Z's renewed interest in traditional Christianity. Double the number of converts at a college campus or an urban parish, from a small baseline, is not going to stave off broader generational trends. Growing congregations have an incentive to publicize their numbers, which declining ones lack. Conversions, moreover, should be noted alongside their foil. For every Catholic convert, for example, roughly eight Catholics leave the faith. And a proper 'revival' - such as the religious awakenings of the 18th and 19th centuries-is generally understood as emerging in multiple places and galvanizing a statistically significant portion of the population."

The Hardest Job in Europe: Ukraine’s ambassador to Hungary represents a government that has become Viktor Orbán’s primary target.

Coffin nails and the habit that defies burial: There now are so few norms to transgress, for some aspiring renegades smoking must suffice.

Trump endorses Republican plan to end DHS shutdown: The plan would fund ICE and Border Patrol for three years without Democrats’ help while relying on Democratic votes to fund the rest of DHS.

Wartime fuel shortages spawn panic, robberies and killings in Asia: Gas station workers in Bangladesh and Pakistan have been killed by angry motorists.

Catastrophic sewage spill followed years of delay on repairs, Post review finds: A Washington Post investigation reveals that a prolonged environmental review pushed back work on the Potomac Interceptor that was initially proposed in 2018. - "In September 2021, during President Joe Biden’s first year in office, the utility informed the Park Service that the project would probably require removing not three trees, but about 260. The utility promised to replant hundreds of trees, replacing the diameter of those lost, inch-for-inch."

Why Trump Didn’t Predict the Gas-Price Spike: The president doesn’t understand that markets are global. - "Trump wishes for a United States economy walled off from the rest of the world. That's why he loves tariffs so much-and why he refuses to think about what they mean to American producers, who now must pay more for inputs such as aluminum. 

"But with energy, there is no walling off. Most of America's oil and gas is produced in the United States. American imports come overwhelmingly from Canada and Mexico. But American oil can be put on a tanker and sent to Japan or the European Union if the price across the ocean rises. The global process of buying and selling equalizes prices worldwide. Walling off the U.S. would mean America would have to stop exporting and importing oil. Trump does not want to do that. In fact, he endlessly urges other countries to buy more American oil and gas. As he said in his March 31 comments: 'Buy from the U.S.; we have plenty.'"

Lions Led by Donkeys: The U.S. is fighting Iran under the worst wartime political leadership America has ever had. - "There is a reason that even those of us who fully recognize Iran's menace and are pleased with the elimination of much of its military capabilities, and who hope for the eventual fall of this brutal and dangerous regime, find it impossible to advocate for what is, in many ways, a just war. With political leadership so feckless, so dysfunctional, so incapable of planning, so willing to betray friends and allies for short-term advantage, so willing to lie and advocate criminal behavior, our military is simply not in responsible hands. It may yet succeed, and even succeed greatly, but that will be a tribute only to the lions, not the donkeys."

The Autocrat’s Dilemma: Xi Jinping’s ruthless reign in China offers important lessons for aspiring authoritarians. - "Since taking charge of the party in 2012, Xi has steadily dismantled the system that oversaw three decades of explosive growth by concentrating power in his own hands. He has marginalized party elders, tossed out political rivals, and sidelined members of other factions, which has stifled policy debates and removed checks on his power. Many of Xi's moves are purportedly about rooting out corruption, but in a political system rife with graft, this tactic enables him to pick off anyone he wishes. In 2022, Xi packed the seven-member Politburo Standing Committee, the country's most powerful governing body, with close associates and political allies. 'Personal loyalty to Xi is his absolute priority and a baseline requirement for being promoted to the top leadership,' Thomas said."

DC is putting rats on birth control: DC Health is using edible birth control bait — and lethal bait — to curb the rat population in parts of the city.

Trump backs off campaign promises to protect Medicare, help with child care: As a candidate, Trump pledged to prioritize child care affordability and preserve Medicare. A spokeswoman argued that the president, in his comments Wednesday, was referring to fraud. - "'We’re a big country,' Trump went on. 'We have 50 states. We have all these other people. We’re fighting wars. It’s not possible for us to take care of day care, Medicaid, Medicare, all these things.'"

Reading archive 2025-11-19

‘Things happen’: Setting the record straight about our murdered colleague.

The 50-year mortgage is a terrible deal. Here’s why.: It’s a proposal that sounds good, but it won’t help families build generational wealth. It’s more like being a perpetual renter.

One of America’s most dangerous volcanoes will soon power homes: Tapping energy from “superhot rock” could produce cheap, clean, constant energy almost anywhere — if drills and wells can survive infernal heat and pressure.

Inside the effort to force Trump’s hand on Epstein: Reps. Thomas Massie and Ro Khanna’s months-long campaign to outmaneuver the White House on the Epstein files started with a text.

Despite congressional action, quick release of Epstein files is in doubt: The Justice Department has remained silent about its plans, and the new disclosure legislation contains major loopholes.

Despite congressional action, quick release of Epstein files is in doubt: The Justice Department has remained silent about its plans, and the new disclosure legislation contains major loopholes. - "If the House decided to issue a subpoena demanding the materials, and the Justice Department refused, the chamber’s leaders could refer officials for criminal prosecution. But it would fall to Bondi to decide whether to prosecute herself or her deputies, rendering that threat potentially empty."

Israeli figures warn state has ‘lost control’ as West Bank settlers attack: Senior government officials have expressed alarm at the uncontrolled nature of the assaults by Jewish settlers against Palestinian residents.

Reading archive 2025-10-01

Congressional Democrats embrace government shutdown, a risky move: House Democrats gave Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries a standing ovation in a caucus meeting Monday evening, praising his feisty posture toward Donald Trump.

Trump administration seeks to exert control over government shutdown: Officials canceled projects in Democratic states, posted partisan messages on government websites and warned that federal layoffs will begin soon.

My Thoughts on the Riyadh Comedy Festival - "Clearly you guys don’t give a shit about what the rest of us think, but how can any of us take any of you seriously ever again? All of your bitching about 'cancel culture' and “freedom of speech” and all that shit? Done. You don’t get to talk about it ever again. By now we’ve all seen the contract you had to sign."

‘Veep’ Creator Armando Iannucci Struggling To Fund Trump Project Amid MAGA Retribution Fears

Hegseth wants to return the military to 1990 — a dark time in its history: The early 1990s saw the U.S. Navy rocked by the Tailhook sexual assault scandal, exposing a dark underside of military culture.

Flooded outfield results in criminal charges for two Maryland firefighters: The Montgomery County incident was apparently sparked by baseballs flying over protective netting and into a fire station parking lot.

Legalized blackjack and poker among D.C. mayor’s proposals to boost economy: Bowser is also putting forward measures related to street vending, zoning and taxation — ideas the D.C. Council had removed from this year’s budget proposal.

Who will win the shutdown fight? Neither side will like the answer.: Washington’s obsession with claiming victory in the shutdown cycle is pointless. - "Kamala Harris offers a hard lesson in how short-lived a good news cycle can be when it comes to the make-or-break skill of winning national elections. Harris had a good rollout in her opening weeks, a sterling Democratic convention in Chicago and a strong debate. In the end, how much good did all that do her?"

Maryland speeders to pay more, D.C. changes health care under new laws: Laws going into effect Oct. 1 will also bring about changes to late fees on past-due rent, driver’s license emblems and violence interruption programs.

WorldPride festival’s predicted economic boon fell short, D.C. says :Trump administration actions seen as targeting the LGBTQ+ community caused some visitors to stay away.

Threatened with jail, CEO agrees to shut down ride-hailing app in D.C.: Empower’s CEO agreed in court Tuesday to a two-week deadline to stop operating in the city, but the company said afterward it would continue to fight.

D.C. police sergeant arrested by city and federal task force: Montez Clark, 27, has been charged with nine crimes, including assaulting a federal police officer. He has worked at the police department since July 2019.

Saudi comedy festival draws big names and backlash Human rights advocates and some comics say the festival, at which Bill Burr, Louis C.K., Dave Chappelle and Kevin Hart are performing, whitewashes abuses. - "'A lot of the 'you can’t say anything anymore!' Comedians are doing the festival,' Okatsuka said, appending a laughing-crying emoji."

Fight gearing up over D.C. bill to recycle bottles and cans for cash: The D.C. Council is holding a hearing Wednesday on a proposal to add a 10-cent fee to bottle and can purchases that would be refunded if people recycle.

Hegseth wants to return the military to 1990 — a dark time in its history: The early 1990s saw the U.S. Navy rocked by the Tailhook sexual assault scandal, exposing a dark underside of military culture.

Reading archive 2024-02-05

Opinion  Another FBI screw-up?

Special counsel questioned witnesses about 2 rooms: FBI didn't search inside Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence: Sources The FBI missed the rooms in their search for classified documents, said sources.

Still Waiting

The 91-year-old Republican suing to kick Donald Trump off the ballot: Norma Anderson, a trailblazing former GOP legislator, is among the Colorado voters who have challenged the Republican front-runner’s candidacy in a case that will be heard by the Supreme Court

Blinken arrives in Saudi Arabia amid a surge in regional violence

J.D. Vance would have upended democracy over right-wing nonsense

Virginia pitches traffic, Metro fixes for planned Caps, Wizards arena

Jay-Z tells Grammys to ‘get it right’ and give Black artists their due

MS-13 members convicted of 2019 murders in Northern Virginia

Metro is likely to avoid extreme cuts. But expect higher fares.: Planned cash infusions from D.C., Maryland and Virginia would prevent doomsday cuts proposed in December

Understanding the D.C. Council’s omnibus crime bill: An initial vote is set for Tuesday on legislation encompassing a host of past proposals to reduce violence in the city

A state pollution tax raised $2 billion. Can it survive the backlash?: Washington state’s ‘cap-and-invest’ program has generated billions to transition to clean energy. But the toll on gas prices has rattled some voters.

Border-for-Ukraine deal on life support as GOP opposition mounts: House speaker calls it ‘DEAD’ while GOP senators start to defect en masse ahead of Wednesday vote

The House GOP’s impeachment Fyre Festival

Reading archive 2024-01-25

Insect populations flourish in the restored habitats of solar energy facilities

What a hand-cranked drill just revealed about the West’s ‘megadrought’: A new study is part of an emerging field of tree-ring science that found the West’s two-decade drought is inextricably linked to rising temperatures

Jan. 6 rioter got his sentence thrown out. Then his prison time doubled.

Ukraine-for-border negotiations hit snag as Trump moves toward nomination: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell acknowledged that reality in a private meeting Wednesday - "Trump publicly encouraged Republicans on his Truth Social social media account to not accept any border deal with Democrats last week, pledging to get a better deal when he is president.

...

"'I think the border is a very important issue for Donald Trump. And the fact that he would communicate to Republican senators and congresspeople that he doesn’t want us to solve the border problem because he wants to blame Biden for it is really appalling,' Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) told reporters Thursday."

Apocalyptic Optimism Could Be the Antidote for Climate Fatalism

Trump’s White House clinic improperly handed out narcotics, report finds - "It also provides new context to systemic problems in a clinic that made headlines when Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Tex.), who was Donald Trump’s personal doctor until 2018, was accused by almost two dozen colleagues of improper activities, including providing prescription drugs without proper paperwork — a habit that allegedly earned him the nickname 'Candyman.'

...

"Aliases were used 'to provide free specialty care and surgery to ineligible White House staff members at military medical treatment facilities,' according to the report. Former staffers told the inspectors that an ineligible White House employee received free elective surgery and that 'the unit altered practices to cater to high‑ranking officials.'"

Opinion  We did not help build women’s tennis for it to be exploited by Saudi Arabia

Opinion  Vote for destruction in November - "This is insanity. Democrats are offering something Republicans have wanted for years, and might never be offered again: tougher border security without a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants already in the country, including 'dreamers.' But Dear Leader Trump says no and, suddenly, GOP senators are afraid to say yes."

Dog detects underground gas leak at home, alerts owner :‘I always thought he was special, but I really have a newfound respect for his intelligence,’ Chanell Bell said about her pup Kobe

Whey, pea or soy: Which protein powder is right for you: Protein powders are one of the most sustainable ways to pack protein into your diet

Tesla shares tumble as analyst decries ‘train wreck’ investor call: In an earnings call this week, CEO Elon Musk failed to allay concerns over falling demand and persistent price cuts

Opinion  Trump would drain the South Carolina wallets that Haley helped fill - [ed. note: a George F. Will oped worth reading, who'd have thought it]

Biden to deploy CIA director to help broker major Gaza deal: William Burns is looking to close gaps between Israel and Hamas on a deal that includes the release of all hostages in Gaza and a two-month cease-fire

An abortion ban turned a grieving Allie Phillips into a candidate - "In Louisiana, which also prohibited abortion with few exceptions, Nancy Davis is planning to run for office because of what she went through in 2022 after learning that the fetus she was carrying had no skull. Doctors denied her an abortion despite the lethal anomaly, and she had to leave the state to terminate the pregnancy.

...

"The following June, Phillips arranged to tell her story to her legislator, Rep. Jeff Burkhart, at the Clarksville library. She hoped a face-to-face conversation might persuade him to sponsor “Miley’s Law,” a measure she was drafting to add an exception for fetal anomalies to the state ban. 

"Phillips recorded their two-hour meeting. When she described Miley Rose’s condition, Burkhart said he thought miscarriages could only happen with first pregnancies. If his own daughter had been in Phillips’s position, he said, he’d have wanted her to continue the pregnancy. Phillips remembers him not making much eye contact and repeatedly focusing on how much a pregnant woman’s life would have to be at risk to necessitate an abortion."

Reading archive 2023-12-03

Oil companies’ unexpected plan to tackle climate change: Saudi Arabia and other big fossil fuel entities sign onto initiatives to cut methane as they try to position themselves as part of the fix for climate change

Hard-right backtrack on spending levels leaves sour taste for colleagues: Fiscal fights have been at the heart of Republican conflict this year, including the debate over the top-line spending level for 2024

Reading archive 2023-07-16

50 years later, group asks: What if other urban highways had been built?

Opinion  Men are lost. Here’s a map out of the wilderness. - "Galloway leaned into the screen. 'My view is that, for masculinity, a decent place to start is garnering the skills and strength that you can advocate for and protect others with. If you’re really strong and smart, you will garner enough power, influence, kindness to begin protecting others. That is it. Full stop. Real men protect other people.' ...

"Reeves, in our earlier conversation, had put it somewhat more subtly. 'I try to raise my boys' — he has three — 'to have the confidence to ask a girl out, if that’s their inclination; the grace to accept no for an answer; and the responsibility to make sure that, either way, she gets home safely.' His recipe for masculine success echoed Galloway’s: proactiveness, agency, risk-taking and courage, but with a pro-social cast."

Opinion  For proof of the U.S. immigration system’s dysfunction, look to Canada

An 11-year-old needed friends ‘really bad.’ 3,100 strangers stepped up.: A TikTok video of Shayden Walker asking a neighbor for friends has racked up nearly 70 million views

Opinion  We fixed I-95 in 12 days. Here are our lessons for U.S. infrastructure.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. suggests covid was designed to spare Jews, Chinese people

Inside the college newspaper investigation that got a football coach fired: When student journalists at the Daily Northwestern saw that revered coach Pat Fitzgerald had been suspended, they suspected there was more to the story. They uncovered years of hazing allegations.

How a Saudi firm tapped a gusher of water in drought-stricken Arizona" Lax rules let the foreign-owned company pump water from state land to grow alfalfa for the kingdom’s cattle. After almost a decade, the deal is in jeopardy. - "Soon after the company, Fondomonte Arizona, arrived in the Butler Valley in 2015, state planners suggested asking the company to install meters and report its water use, according to a memo reviewed by The Washington Post. That way, the memo argued, the state could 'at least obtain accurate information' on water drained from the valley — water that could otherwise serve as backup for booming urban areas. 

"But the proposal 'hit a stone wall,' John Schneeman, one of the planners, told The Post. It was spurned, he said, by officials in the administration of then-Gov. Doug Ducey (R) who were 'cautious of tangling with a powerful company.' The proposal also ran headlong into a view, deeply held in the rural West, that water is private property that comes with access to land, rather than a public resource."

Reading archive 2023-06-09

Welcome to the D.C. queer bar where consent rules: As You Are has developed a loyal and diverse LGBTQ clientele since opening its doors last spring. They come for a sense of safety and community they say they can’t find anywhere else.

‘We Need to Start Killing’: Trump’s Far-Right Supporters Are Threatening Civil War: Within minutes of Trump’s indictment, supporters lit up social media platforms with violent threats and calls for civil war.

What’s actually in all that smoke you’re breathing

Opinion  In the House, a spectacular flameout

Saudi crown prince threatened ‘major’ economic pain on U.S. amid oil feud: After President Biden vowed to impose ‘consequences’ on Saudi Arabia for slashing oil production last year, Mohammed bin Salman privately threatened to sever ties and retaliate economically, according to a classified U.S. intelligence document.

Reading archive 2023-05-26

LIV Golf arrives in Washington after major gains at PGA, Masters

Conservatives revolt as negotiators try to finish debt ceiling deal: Although not yet made public, the emerging agreement between McCarthy and Biden is already coming under fire from the right

Reading archive 2023-05-19

Florida teacher investigated for showing Disney movie with gay main character

US signals to allies it won’t block their export of F-16 jets to Ukraine

The unexpected downside of raising bees in your backyard - "'The honeybee has been promoted as the symbol of helping the environment and biodiversity, and really it’s not that,' says Gail MacInnis, a former postdoctoral researcher at Concordia University in Montreal and the study’s lead author. 'You would never start keeping chickens to help save wild bird species.'"

Zelensky, on surprise Saudi visit, seeks Arab League support in war

Opinion  Marjorie Taylor Greene’s impeachment stunt wrecks a big MAGA myth - "The idea that our border is under perpetual siege isn’t intended as an empirical declaration about a concrete challenge facing the country. Rather, it’s a kind of animating myth, one manufactured to mobilize political energy. In this, it’s essential to MAGA’s identity."

D.C. police officer arrested, accused of leaking info to Proud Boys leader: Lt. Shane Lamond told Henry “Enrique” Tarrio that police had a warrant out for him in advance of his arrest in the burning of a Black Lives Matter flag, prosecutors say

The short life of Baby Milo - "The state’s ban on abortion after 15 weeks of gestation has an exception for fatal fetal abnormalities. But as long as their baby’s heart kept beating, the Dorberts say, doctors would not honor their request to terminate the pregnancy. The doctors would not say how they reached their decision, but the new law carries severe penalties, including prison time, for medical practitioners who run afoul of it. The hospital system declined to discuss the case. ...

"The day before Milo was born, the Dorberts sat down with their son Kaiden to explain that the baby’s body had stopped working and that he would not come home. Instead, someday, they told Kaiden, they would all meet as angels. The 4-year-old burst into tears, telling them that he did not want to be an angel. ...

"He never cried or tried to nurse or even opened his eyes, investing every ounce of energy in intermittent gasps for air. “That was the beginning of the end,” Rogell said, recalling the persistent gulps that he thought at first were hiccups but turned out to be his grandson’s labored efforts to inhale."

Fox News Stoked Outrage Over Migrants Displacing Homeless Vets. It Was a Hoax.: Fox News and the rest of right-wing media went wild for a week over a now-debunked story about New York hotels booting homeless vets to accommodate asylum seekers. - "The manager of the hotel also told Mid-Hudson News that no veterans were ever at the hotel, let alone kicked out of Crossroads. No other guests had been displaced either, as the hotel had not been booked to capacity despite housing a group of migrants. ...

"The story got even wilder on Friday, however, when Mid-Hudson News further reported that Toney-Finch had recruited a group of homeless men from a nearby shelter to pretend they were the military veterans that had been displaced by migrants."

Homeless men recruited for veteran hotel scam

Reading archive 2023-04-03

Friend who intervened to stop attack on Rand Paul staffer speaks out

No Labels group raises alarms with third-party presidential preparations: It has money, name-brand political backers and declines to describe either President Biden or Donald Trump as acceptable candidates

Tenn. drag queens feared it was their final hour — and gave it their all: Hours before a new state law was set to take effect, an enthusiastic crowd (and presidential long-shot Marianne Williamson) turns out to support their queens

Va. teacher files lawsuit over her shooting by 6-year-old student

Russia arrests woman in blast that killed pro-war blogger

Surging oil prices could again frustrate inflation fight: Saudi Arabia and other leading oil producers will slash output by more than 1 million barrels a day starting in May

Inside Colombia’s most powerful drug trafficking group — and its case for peace

Reading archive 2023-02-13

Russians abandon wartime Russia in historic exodus

How Mahomes' Chiefs beat Hurts' Eagles in Super Bowl 2023

Super Bowl LVII: The Inevitable Patrick Mahomes - "And everyone else outside the NFC East is either a spunky up-and-comer (Lions, Seahawks), last-year's news (Bucs, Rams), Fraudzilla (Vikings), being held hostage by a barking madman (Packers), or just a mess."

Opinion  They clicked once. Then came the dark prisons.

Former FBI agent’s side work puts bureau under new scrutiny: Charles McGonigal’s alleged illegal dealings in Albania — and for a notorious, U.S.-sanctioned Russian oligarch — have put the FBI in political crosshairs - "In January, McGonigal was indicted on federal charges of money laundering, violating U.S. sanctions and making false statements, stemming in part from his alleged interventions on Fokina’s behalf. McGonigal has pleaded not guilty to the charges in New York and Washington and is free on bond. He is one of the most senior FBI officials ever charged with criminal offenses, and his case has deeply concerned national security professionals, given the extraordinary access he had to sensitive government secrets."

China says at least 10 U.S. balloons have flown in its airspace since 2022

A barred owl and a bald eagle were badly hurt, rescued in Virginia: Experts said they are being cared for, but they are also worried about their ability to return to the wild

Reading archive 2022-11-07

No, We Don't Just Need to Plant More Milkweed

Prairie lawns help Nebraskans alleviate climate change and promote biodiversity

D.C. servers, restaurateurs battle over ‘tipped minimum’ initiative - "Graham opposed Initiative 77, which was repealed by the D.C. Council after voters approved it, and opposes this one. She said 'outside moneyed labor interests' were fueling both measures. The measure’s opponents have raised about $643,000 fighting it while its supporters have raised about $439,000 trying to get it passed, campaign filings show." [ed. note: Graham is ignorant]

The speedy scientific workout you can do almost anywhere: A new study shows you can get the benefits of a high-intensity workout by doing five common exercises, no gym or equipment required

Biden’s ‘consequences’ for Saudi Arabia are reaping quiet results: Riyadh’s decision to cut OPEC oil production was met with fury in Washington. But the White House is taking its time on meting out any public punishment.

Stars and fans remember Aaron Carter, lamenting ‘curse’ of childhood fame

Stop building museums on the National Mall: Women and Latinos deserve better than getting squeezed into the unsuitable locations proposed by the Smithsonian

She put a stranger on her shoulders at a Phillies rally. Now fans want them to marry.: She hoisted him above the sea of revelers until he found his friends. People far and wide are hoping for a fairy tale ending.

These are the men running Elon Musk’s Twitter: The billionaire has installed several members of his inner circle to enact his vision for the social media platform

Republicans sue to disqualify thousands of mail ballots in swing states: The lawsuits coincide with a systemic effort by GOP leaders to persuade voters to cast ballots in person, not absentee

Kyrie Irving lit a flame. The NBA, top to bottom, watched the fire spread.

Breaking with Kanye West’s sports group was a choice. So was joining it.

Elon Musk’s Twitter is a safe space for bros who think they’re funny: Musk may think he’s preserving comedy, but he’s just ensuring the lowest kind has one more place to flourish. Let that sink in.

In Arizona, small tribe watches warily as Supreme Court takes up Native adoption law

In existential midterm races, Christian prophets become GOP surrogates

The Demolition of the Taylor Street Bridge

Reading archive 2022-10-17

Trump charged Secret Service ‘exorbitant’ rates at his hotels, records show - "In 2019, Eric Trump said the Trump Organization was saving the Secret Service agents — and taxpayers who paid the bill — huge sums.

...

"But the reality was different, the records reveal. During Trump’s presidency, Secret Service supervisors frequently asked for special waivers to let the agency pay far more than the government-approved nightly rate for a hotel in D.C. — usually $195 to $240. Instead, they paid the higher costs the Trump Organization was charging."

American technology boosts China’s hypersonic missile program - "Military research groups at the leading edge of China’s hypersonics and missile programs — many on a U.S. export blacklist — are purchasing a range of specialized American technology, including products developed by firms that have received millions of dollars in grants and contracts from the Pentagon, a Washington Post investigation has found.

...

"The Washington Post mapped more than 300 sales since 2019 of U.S.-origin technology to dozens of entities involved in China’s hypersonics or missile programs by analyzing contract solicitation and award documents issued by the groups, as well as speaking to six Chinese scientists working in military labs and universities who described almost unfettered access to American technology with applications in the design and testing of missiles. The scientists spoke to The Post on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive research."

Russia’s airstrikes, intended to show force, reveal another weakness

Opinion  Biden just pulled off a big diplomatic victory — and almost no one noticed - "Israel’s security establishment is firmly in favor of the deal not only because it will help safeguard Israel’s natural gas fields but also because it will help bolster the Lebanese government and economy. Israel does not want a failed state next door."

Opinion  So who’s ‘naive’ about Saudi Arabia, now?

Obama to campaign in Michigan, Wisconsin and Georgia: Additional travel dates are expected to be announced in the coming weeks

Opinion  Writers, be wary of Throat-Clearers and Wan Intensifiers. Very, very wary.

Alaska cancels snow crab season for first time after population collapses

Daryl Morey Changed the Game, but He Still Hasn’t Beaten It - "The Billy Beane of basketball revolutionized the modern NBA, but a championship still has eluded one of the most successful executives in league history. This year’s Sixers team, though, could be his best shot yet. Says Joel Embiid: 'What I like about him is that he’s always going for it. Whatever it takes.'"

Exxon fully withdraws from Russia after Putin seizes assets

Reading archive 2021-12-07

Opinion: In Georgia, Republicans’ Faustian bargain with Trump is catching up with them

Opinion: A GOP lawyer issues a frantic warning to his own party about Trump and 2024

Opinion: An angry rift between Trump and Bannon signals the far-right’s future

Charlottesville’s Robert E. Lee statue will be melted down by city’s African American history museum

France detains suspect in murder of Jamal Khashoggi at Paris airport

Inside CNN’s decision to fire Chris Cuomo: ‘He gave me his word’: An unrelated sexual misconduct claim may have only hastened Jeff Zucker’s decision to dismiss his star anchor for crossing ethical lines to help his brother

Advocates push nationwide movement for land return to Blacks after victory in California: One Black family’s successful fight to reclaim a picturesque stretch of beach is giving hope to others seeking the return of property that was taken from them

Reading archive 2021-08-03

"Broke" and abandoned: Rudy Giuliani is reportedly now getting the cold shoulder from Trump

Accused Bucks Capitol rioter once assaulted an ex with pizza and tried to drown her, feds say in bid to keep him locked up: The 2011 incident was just one of a history of violent attacks against women prosecutors detailed against Ryan Samsel, of Bristol, who now says he was brutally beaten in a D.C.-area jail.

Focus is important to productivity. But it’s daydreaming that makes us happy. - "Still, daydreaming doesn’t always make us happy or creative. If we rehash past mistakes or replay social flubs during a mind-wandering session, or if mind-wandering keeps us from fulfilling our goals, we could become depressed."

Scientists expected thawing wetlands in Siberia’s permafrost. What they found is ‘much more dangerous.’: A 2020 heat wave unleashed methane emissions from prehistoric limestone in two regions stretching 375 miles, study says

New restrictions sweep China as officials race to contain delta outbreak

Prominent Belarusian activist Vitaly Shishov, who helped others flee Lukashenko regime, found dead in Ukraine

Belarusian Olympic sprinter says she was pressured to leave Tokyo after criticizing her country’s Olympic officials

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed seeks to cut influential clerics down to size

The Secret Source Who Helped Fuel Trump’s Big Lie: A Dallas information-technology consultant, code-named Spider, believes that the New World Order stole the 2020 election. - "During our conversations, he outlined a form of grievance politics that reached new prominence in the Trump era, telling me that the most marginalized people in America are 'white Christians,' and that the New World Order was stoking fears about racism and white supremacy in order to 'balkanize' U.S. society."

Reading archive 2021-02-27

The NBA doesn’t need a new logo — and it doesn’t need Kobe Bryant as its representative

What does justice for Jamal Khashoggi look like? Unleashing free expression in Saudi Arabia.

She cried on TV after her husband’s killing. Now she’s charged with covering for the shooter.