Reading archive 2025-04-28 pt 1

Video casts doubt on Ed Martin’s apology for praising Nazi sympathizer: Trump’s pick for top D.C. federal prosecutor said he didn’t know about the man’s statements, but Martin had discussed the antisemitism allegations in podcasts.

U.S. attorney for D.C. accuses Wikipedia of ‘propaganda,’ threatens nonprofit status: Trump appointee Ed Martin accuses the online encyclopedia of “allowing foreign actors to manipulate information and spread propaganda to the American public.”

Big, big trouble at ‘60 Minutes’: Executive Producer Bill Owens steps down, for reasons that are way too predictable.

Amazon slows forecast on HQ2 job growth as D.C. region hurts for employment: The tech giant added a few hundred jobs at HQ2 in Northern Virginia last year — and requested almost $6.5 million in state subsidies — but seems less like the economic cushion for the region that many hoped it would be.

D.C., Commanders plan to announce deal for new stadium at RFK: Details of the deal — which must be approved by the D.C. Council — are expected to be announced by Commanders principal owner Josh Harris and Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) at a news conference Monday morning.

D.C., Commanders announce $3.7B deal to move team to RFK Stadium: The development, anchored by a roofed, 65,000-seat stadium, will be funded primarily by the Commanders, who would put up $2.7 billion, while D.C. taxpayers would pay $500 million.

Carolyn Hax: Friend demands constant attention, enforced by silent treatments: A friend turns to the silent treatment when the letter writer doesn’t keep her constantly informed of plans.

These experts on aging, now seniors themselves, see things differently: Their advice and thinking about resilience, adaptability and outlook have shifted.

CIA official’s son killed fighting with Russian army in Ukraine: Michael Gloss, 21, whose mother is a senior CIA official and father an Iraq War veteran, suffered from mental illness. He died in April 2024 in eastern Ukraine, fighting with Moscow’s forces.

How Lindsey Graham is accommodating himself to Trump’s foreign policy: “Yeah, I think Europe’s gone woke, don’t y’all?” the one-time hawk asked a crowd back home in South Carolina.

What to know to save a life: The key to heart attack survival: Bystander training on spotting and using defibrillators can greatly improve cardiac arrest survival, but many people don’t know what to do.

‘This Is Not How We Do Science, Ever’: The Trump administration is manipulating government-sponsored research to get the answers it wants. - "This is consistent with everything Trump and his allies have revealed about their views on science since January: that it is not a means to better understand objective reality, but a political weapon that they must guard against, or deploy themselves."

Congressional Republicans Might Set Off the Debt Bomb: Their new budget framework is the most irresponsible in modern history—and will put the American economy on a very dangerous trajectory. - "Budget deficits of $1.8 trillion—heading toward $3.6 trillion within a decade under current policies—can be addressed only by putting all spending and taxes up for reconsideration. The popular targets of government waste, defense cuts, and taxing the rich can contribute at the margins, but the unforgiving budget math will force most long-term deficit reduction to come from the lead deficit drivers of Social Security and Medicare, as well as middle-class taxes. Of course, those three reform categories face intense bipartisan opposition. Ultimately, the bond market will leave Washington with no alternative."

Inside the Fiasco at the National Security Council: Firings and leadership challenges have destabilized an institution that has little margin for error. - "The disorder at the NSC, officials told me, stems from Trump's impatience with process, disregard for the law, and insistence on loyalty in place of expertise. They also said it reflects the president's distrust of Waltz, a former Florida congressman and Green Beret who served in the George W. Bush administration as an aide to Vice President Dick Cheney."

Has Trump found a path to peace in Ukraine?: Security guarantees and other hard details remain, but there are signs of movement.

‘Bone collector’ caterpillar, a new species, wears outfit of body parts: The caterpillar species with a macabre fashion sense was discovered by researchers in Hawaii. Its casing is a disguise to fool the spiders with which it lives.

Pup’s death at D.C. luxury building sparks push for ban of deadly plant: The Carolina jessamine is widely known to be toxic to dogs and children.

China plans to build a nuclear power plant on the Moon: The plans come as China steps up its ambitious space programme

China asks Korea not to supply products using rare earths to US defence firms, paper reports

A Ticking Clock on American Freedom: It’s later than you think, but it’s not too late.

What Would Be Worse Than a Recession?: The loss of America’s economic hegemony - "In the words of Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, the onetime French finance minister, the role of the dollar as the world's reserve currency constitutes an "exorbitant privilege" for the United States, a privilege made more exorbitant by Treasury debt's role as the world's safe-haven investment. The country can borrow cheaply and power out of recessions quickly because of this privilege. Yet it depends on investors' trust in American financial institutions and American governance. Trump's trade war is making people question whether the United States deserves to have its privilege revoked."

I’ve Seen How This Plays Out for Ukraine: Appeasement won’t stop Putin. - "The Trump administration's proposed agreement would recognize Russia's illegal annexation and freeze the war's front lines. But nothing I've lived through suggests this would be the end of it. Each concession has been followed by another demand. Every new border has eventually been redrawn. Crimea wasn't the end. Neither was Donetsk. Neither was Mariupol. It's not difficult to see what comes next."

Reading archive 2025-01-05

Recycling Doesn’t Work—and the Plastics Industry Knew It: The industry knew decades ago that recycling was never viable in the long term, and now we’re all being poisoned by its product.

Trees are spreading across the Great Plains. They're actually making climate change worse - "Trees darken the ground. So a place that otherwise would reflect more sunlight and send some of its heat straight back into outer space instead soaks up that heat. In some regions, this outweighs the trees’ potential carbon storage."

Opinion: Habitat for all — how housing and biodiversity can coexist even in a crowded future

In the colossus of beef, Argentines are increasingly turning to pork: Grill-obsessed Argentines, facing inflation and economic shock therapy, consumed less beef per capita in 2024 than at any point in the past century.

Why South Korean protesters are using U.S. flags and a pro-Trump slogan: Both supporters and critics of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol are using American symbolism, from the “Stop the Steal” slogan to the Virginia state flag.

Liberals Warned Me About MAGA’s Racism. I Didn’t Believe Them—Until Now.: My grandfather voted for Trump three times. Now, part of that movement is calling immigrants like him ‘filthy.’

‘Perfect storm’ of factors hits Washington apple farmers, driving bankruptcies, consolidation

Reading archive 2024-08-13 pt 2

An engineer’s defense of the pedestrian push button

Opinion The Navy is breaking down. We need our allies’ help to fix our ships.: Maintenance delays and construction backlogs have led to an atrophied fleet and broken naval industrial base.

The United States Must Improve Its Shipbuilding Capacity

Fighting DMO, Pt. 8: China’s Anti-Ship Firepower and Mass Firing Schemes

Opinion How to transform city streets — without losing your parking spot

Opinion The 12 medals that Chinese swimmers won in Paris will forever be tainted: Apparent systemic doping among Chinese swimmers must be investigated.

Opinion Environmentalists are suing us out of addressing climate change

Over a billion birds die after striking U.S. buildings each year — maybe many more: The death toll is probably much higher than previously thought, U.S. researchers said. Light pollution that lures birds to urban areas is a particular problem.

South Korea recycles 98% of its food waste. What can it teach the world?: Almost all leftovers from homes and restaurants are turned into compost, animal feed and even energy. But its model isn’t easy to replicate.

Reading archive 2024-07-12

He went viral after signing with the Nats. Now he’s a star for the Savannah Bananas.: RobertAnthony Cruz will make his Nats Park debut on Saturday, when the exhibition barnstorming team visits Washington.

Video of Fetterman crash aftermath released by Maryland police: Maryland State Police officers who responded to a car crash involving Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) discussed how the lawmaker was speeding when he collided with another vehicle, according to body-camera footage.

Opinion Are we really going to give Trump a pass? C’mon, man.: The national discussion needs to shift back to where it should be: on Trump’s fitness for office.

Opinion The real reason the frenzy over Biden is so unsettling: The herd-like reversal of certain institutions on Biden’s abilities reflects a loss of political freedom. - "This is a fight over power more than values, and it’s driven by fear more than reason, on both sides. Part of me wants to see Biden overpowered as a comeuppance for his hubris and egotism. But part of me wants to see Biden overpower the noisy hysterics who closed ranks around him out of fear and are now fleeing for the same reason."

RFK Jr. sent text apologizing to woman who accused him of sexual assault: The woman called the unsolicited late-night message “disingenuous and arrogant.”

In its third life, D.C. office building becomes first housing conversion: Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) joined developer Gary Cohen to cut the ribbon at the Elle, which was formerly home to the U.S. Peace Corps.

D.C. gets mixed grades for its handling of the NATO summit: Commuters bemoaned traffic and some businesses lost revenue, but at least one biker said it was easy to navigate the city.

Friends remember D.C. woman killed by tree: ‘Effortless, elegant’: Sarah Noah, 35, of Southeast, was found pinned beneath a large branch in Garfield Park and was not conscious or breathing when D.C. police arrived Wednesday.

Who killed the Kennedys? The Rolling Stones won’t tell you anymore.: The rock legends stopped singing a sinister lyric from “Sympathy for the Devil.” Why?

Surprised by Tony P’s NATO video? He was too.: The 25-year-old Instagram influencer shrugs off the naysayers and says he just wanted to help.

He wanted to focus on issues students cared about. Then the crises began.: Sami Saeed, 18, became Montgomery County’s student board member during one of its hardest years.

After 4-month trial, jury finds 3 men guilty in killing of 13-year-old: Malachi Lukes was walking to play basketball with his friends in Shaw when prosecutors say several men sprayed the area with bullets in a turf war. - "Freeman’s attorney told Judge Rainey Brandt that his client wants to be sentenced under the District’s Youth Rehabilitation Act, a controversial city law that gives individuals 25 years of age or younger at the time of their crime a chance to receive a lighter sentence and have their criminal records sealed should they successfully complete probation." [ed. note: god help us]

‘Black Pill’ is a disturbing look at how ‘meme magic’ captured the GOP: Elle Reeve’s deeply reported book explores the slippery irony and dangerous absurdities at the heart of what was once the alt-right and is now Trump’s Republican Party.

Opinion About time: Senators demand special counsel to investigate Clarence Thomas: For once, Attorney General Merrick Garland should act quickly.

This Trader Joe’s seasoning is a hot item. In South Korea, it’s illegal.: Jars of Everything But the Bagel seasoning are being seized at the airport because they contain poppy seeds, which South Korean law classifies as a narcotic.

U.S., Germany foiled Russian plot to assassinate CEO of arms manufacturer, officials say: Armin Papperger is the head of Rheinmetall, a major German arms manufacturer that has been a key supplier of artillery shells and tanks for Ukraine.

Russia vows response if U.S. puts longer-range missiles in Germany: A Kremlin spokesman said the stationing of Tomahawk and hypersonic weapons in Europe was a “very serious threat to our national security.”

Opinion Hong Kong is more Chinese, but don’t call it ‘another Chinese city’: As expats leave, officials say they’re unconcerned — but their reaction to criticism says otherwise.

Hawaii isn’t protected by NATO. Some senators are trying to change that.: The archipelago became a state 10 years after NATO was born, but remains outside of the treaty’s geographic scope. - "Article 5 of the treaty states that an attack on one NATO member is an attack on all, but Article 6 clarifies that such protections only apply to land, forces, vessels or aircraft north of the Tropic of Cancer. Hawaii, as well as the U.S. territories of Guam and Puerto Rico, are south of that line. American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands and the U.S. Virgin Islands are also south of the Tropic of Cancer.

...

"He added that any effort to amend the treaty to include Hawaii would be 'unlikely to gain consensus' because other allied nations also have territory outside the geographic scope of the agreement. (Martinique, an island in the Caribbean home to nearly 400,000 people, is a French 'overseas department' south of the Tropic of Cancer.) Such a discussion would 'open something of a Pandora’s box,' Blinken said. 'I’m not sure that we could get there.'"

Inside the glitzy fundraiser where Biden lost George Clooney: Some donors who attended the June 15 event at L.A.’s Peacock Theater said this week that they noticed Biden seemed slow. He seemed frail. As he greeted donors lined up for photos, he trailed off or spoke too quietly to be heard.

Reading archive 2023-07-05

What does the Barbie movie have to do with the South China Sea dispute?

South Korea’s biggest Pride parade was blocked. It came back stronger.

Climate change could swamp this island. Home sales are surging.: Maryland’s iconic Smith Island faces one of the nation’s most dire forecasts for rising seas, but real estate is booming - "Some studies have shown similar trends elsewhere. One found more Americans are moving into hot urban areas and zones prone to wildfires that will be intensified by climate change. Hurricanes have become more devastating in Florida because millions have bought homes in their paths in recent decades."

Scientists found a solution to recycle solar panels in your kitchen: Research suggests microwave technology could make it easier to take solar panels apart

Opinion  A Georgia teacher’s plight exposes the essence of anti-woke MAGA fury - "This disconnect captures something essential about state laws and directives restricting classroom discussion across the country: They seem to be imprecisely drafted to encourage censorship. That invites parents and administrators to seek to apply bans to teachers haphazardly, forcing teachers to err on the side of muzzling themselves rather than risk unintentionally crossing fuzzy lines into illegality."

Twitter was locked in a chaotic doom loop. Now it’s on the verge of collapse

Reading archive 2022-07-09

A one-source story about a 10-year-old and an abortion goes viral

Abe assassination resurfaces Japan’s complex legacy in China, South Korea

Trump considers waiving claim of executive privilege for Steve Bannon: A letter from Trump may clear the way for Bannon to testify before the House select committee probing the Jan. 6 attack

Reading archive 2022-06-21

Investors paid thousands for rare wines. It was a scam, feds say.

Opinion  Texas Republicans want to secede? Good riddance.

Why gas is so expensive in some U.S. states but not others

PolitiFact: Tucker Carlson is wrong. Firearms, other weapons at Capitol on Jan. 6

How Kaliningrad, Russian land ringed by NATO, is tangled in Ukraine war

Japan and South Korea's Attendance at the Upcoming NATO Summit Could Worsen Global Tensions

Oil refineries are making a windfall. Why do they keep closing?: Companies see only headaches on the horizon for refineries, undercutting the White House push to boost production - "The explosion was triggered by a pipe that had not been inspected since 1973. It was so corroded that the pipe’s metal had become thinner than a credit card, according to investigators from the U.S. Chemical Safety Board. The board noted that such corrosion had been the culprit in earlier refinery explosions in California and Utah, and “it’s just a matter of time” before another such explosion at a refinery leads to fatalities or contamination of a community."

Why an energy crisis and $5 gas aren’t spurring a green revolution: As high prices move consumers to rethink their attachment to oil and gas, America is struggling to meet the moment - "There are numerous hurdles in the way, as outdated federal rules and local planning disputes slow projects down. In November, for instance, one of the country’s larger clean-energy projects faltered in the Northeast. Maine voters stymied plans for a transmission line that would bring enough clean electricity from hydroelectric plants fueled by dams in Canada to power 900,000 homes in New England.

"The plan was opposed by some local conservation groups that argued the lines would create an environmental menace in Maine’s North Woods and that hydroelectric power is detrimental to fragile aquatic ecosystems. But the most potent opposition came from energy companies heavily invested in fossil fuel, which spent $24 million supporting the ballot initiative campaign to kill the transmission line.

...

"The vote reversed a years-long, multimillion-dollar state approval process during which, Barringer said, environmental concerns were thoroughly considered and mitigated. And voter antipathy toward the project was driven in large part by distrust for the local utility partner on it, Central Maine Power, which has a dismal customer service record and a history of outages."

Document reveals details of 2009 sexual assault allegation against Daniel Snyder

The most common abortion procedures and when they occur

‘There’s nowhere I feel safe’: Georgia elections workers describe how Trump upended their lives: Shaye Moss and her mother, Ruby Freeman, testified how Trump and his allies fueled harassment and racist threats

Reading archive 2020-03-17

INVISIBLE CENSORSHIP: TikTok Told Moderators to Suppress Posts by “Ugly” People and the Poor to Attract New Users

Limbaugh guest host Mark Steyn: San Francisco faces a COVID-19 shutdown because it's “a big gay town”

How South Korea Is Composting Its Way to Sustainability: Automated bins, rooftop farms, and underground mushroom-growing help clean up the mess.

Reading archive 2018-04-30

Trump has already been ‘played’

The Forces Were Perfectly in Balance at the White House Correspondents' Dinner: Sarah Huckabee Sanders' job is to embarrass the press. Michelle Wolf's job is to embarrass Sanders.

North Korea’s Phony Peace Ploy

The Government is Empty: Only half of key government agency positions are currently filled

Mueller Has Dozens of Inquiries for Trump in Broad Quest on Russia Ties and Obstruction

Reading archive 2018-03-06

Why Europe and Canada may retaliate against bourbon, Harleys and Levi jeans

White House: Trump did not have call with N. Koreans (ed. note: Jesus fucking Christ, Trump was on the phone with the South Koreans but thought it was the North Koreans)

Reading archive 2018-01-01

The Year in Apocalypses: There comes a moment, and perhaps it has come in 2017, when I need to believe something better is coming.

Kim Jong-un’s Overture Could Drive a Wedge Between South Korea and the U.S.

Reading archive 2017-09-03

Why Trump, After North Korea’s Test, Aimed His Sharpest Fire at the South