Reading archive 2025-06-09

What the GOP is planning now is even worse than all those debt ceiling fights: The GOP budget bill simultaneously requires more borrowing — and also prohibits that borrowing.

Retired man takes on nemesis, cleans up 15,000 discarded tires: “They tick me off more than anything,” Jon Merryman said about illegally dumped tires. He has a goal of cleaning up trash in every county in America.

Democratic Party chair lashes officer in leaked call, prompting more infighting: The finger-pointing among the DNC’s top officers comes as the party faces deeper political challenges.

Mike Flanagan, Stephen King screen whisperer, will sleep when he’s dead: The ever-busy director and Stephen King whisperer returns to theaters after five years — and four TV shows — with “The Life of Chuck.”

NASA, Pentagon push for SpaceX alternatives amid Trump’s feud with Musk: The fight between President Donald Trump and Elon Musk highlights the government’s outsize dependence on a single company for missions.

White House security staff warned Musk’s Starlink is a security risk: Starlink satellite connections in the White House bypass controls meant to stop leaks and hacking.

A troubling chapter in William F. Buckley’s life: How was this hometown pro-segregation paper forgotten? - "What was surprising was that Buckley, who famously crowed that he had rid the Republican Party of antisemites, bigots and kooks, would go to the trouble of creating a newspaper that would saturate its pages with pro-segregation stories. For someone so educated, so Catholic, so intensely logical and delightfully witty, it was a little like finding out that, well, he was a racist."

2 juveniles stabbed at Dupont park and 1 man shot nearby during Pride: The violence came after the park was reopened at the request of the D.C. government.

Colleagues ask if Norton is still the best ‘warrior’ to fight for D.C.: “Even the best pitcher on the team loses their fastball eventually,” one Democrat said of civil rights icon Eleanor Holmes Norton, D.C.’s delegate in the House.

Army video of parade prep appeared to show ‘Hang Fauci’ graffiti: The footage, up for more than a day on the Army’s official X account, showed tanks being loaded onto a flatcar.

A powerful, opaque al-Qaeda affiliate is rampaging across West Africa: With up to 6,000 fighters, JNIM is now the most well-armed militant force in the Sahel — and among the most powerful in the world, officials and experts say.

Toxic truth? The cookware craze redefining ‘ceramic’ and ‘nontoxic’

A knockout blow for LLMs? LLM “reasoning” is so cooked they turned my name into a verb - "If you can’t use a billion dollar AI system to solve a problem that Herb Simon one of the actual 'godfathers of AI', current hype aside) solved with AI in 1957, and that first semester AI students solve routinely, the chances that models like Claude or o3 are going to reach AGI seem truly remote."

Reading archive 2025-05-20

As a Ukrainian American, I’ve been preparing for this betrayal My father taught me how resistance movements can persevere despite overwhelming odds.

As ‘Around the Horn’ ends, Tony Reali debates what went wrong: Canceled by the network, an ESPN staple ends this week. Its longtime host is still trying to understand why — and what’s next.

Plant-based meat has a problem. It may need more meat.: Blind taste tests show several blended meats are outperforming conventional meat, in addition to 100 percent plant-based products.

The New York Post judges The Fact Checker: After a scathing editorial, we re-examined three fact checks to see if they stood the test of time.

More say Metro is safe from crime, especially higher-income riders: A Washington Post-Schar School poll finds a spike in positive views about crime on Metro is driven by riders making more than $200,000 a year.

Five people fatally shot in D.C. in six days, police say: The killings appear to narrow the gap between the number of homicides this year and the number last year at this time.

How Colin Jost Became a Joke: The “Weekend Update” host knows exactly what he’s doing.

Shutting Down Salman Rushdie Is Not Going to Help: Two recent flare-ups over commencement speeches show how difficult—and necessary—truly defending free expression is.

‘We’re Definitely Going to Build a Bunker Before We Release AGI’: The true story behind the chaos at OpenAI - "Near the end of last year, the six largest tech giants together had seen their market caps increase by more than $8 trillion after ChatGPT. At the same time, more and more doubts have risen about the true economic value of generative AI, including a growing body of studies that have shown that the technology is not translating into productivity gains for most workers, while it's also eroding their critical thinking."

The Myth of the Poverty Trap: We know how to end extreme poverty. Why haven’t we done it? - "Unpack that a little bit, right? I mean, if you take it a little bit too literally than it's meant to be, it presumes that the guy doesn't know how to fish in the first place. Maybe, actually, he did know, and what he needed was a fishing rod. It presumes that the lake isn't getting overfished, right? Maybe there are tons of people out there fishing, and the big issue is sort of overextraction of natural resources, and we definitely should not be teaching more people to fish, right? It presumes, as you said, right, that we're good at teaching people how to fish. Maybe we're not. Maybe it's hard, and it's not something that we know how to do well. So there are all these sorts of assumptions baked into it, and that's why it's important to test. And you go out and test it, it actually doesn't."

New clues point to why colorectal cancer is rising in young people: Scientists identified a link between colorectal cancer and a toxin in the gut. Eating more fiber may help reduce your risk.

Local leaders say they’ll pay $5.6 billion to automate Metro: But a regional sales tax proposal to foot the bill doesn’t have enough support, D.C. lawmaker says.

We all have hemorrhoids. Here’s how to keep them happy.: Eating a fiber-rich diet and spending minimal time on the toilet may help prevent painful hemorrhoids

Gen Z users and a dad tested Instagram Teen Accounts. Their feeds were shocking.: Meta promised parents it would automatically shield teens from harmful content. Tests by young users and our tech columnist found it fails spectacularly on some important dimensions.

Reading archive 2024-02-27

In Arizona, Biden’s handling of immigration fuels frustration among key voters: President Biden’s embrace of strict border measures has left some Democrats and independents wondering where he stands on immigration — adding to their lack of enthusiasm for a potential second term - "While many voters said they felt Biden has largely ignored immigration, his administration has taken more than 530 immigration-related executive actions in his first three years in office, outnumbering the 472 undertaken by Trump in his full term, according to the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute."

Whitmer navigates Michigan ‘minefield’ between Biden and Arab Americans: The governor’s outreach to the Arab and Muslim American communities is done privately, her allies say, and she has been in regular contact with people upset about the war and the Biden administration’s role in it

Opinion  Why an ex-congressman is living in a ‘safe house’ from Trump

Zelensky’s increasingly blunt comments about Trump

The reviled electric scooter is back. Does it deserve a second chance?

The economy is roaring. Immigration is a key reason.: Momentum in the job market picked up aggressively over the past year — all while Washington is deadlocked on a border deal - "In Dalton, Ga. — known as the 'Carpet Capital of the World' — Jan Pourquoi said the entire economy would collapse without immigrant workers. Pourquoi owns a rug company with a warehouse near the city’s railroad tracks and pays $11 an hour for jobs like cutting and sewing door and bathroom mats. He said that he doesn’t question anyone’s paperwork, and that he knows workers will reliably line up at his door looking for openings every morning."

After feds dismantle street gang, officials say crime in this DC neighborhood went down

Airman who set self on fire grew up on religious compound, had anarchist past

They renounced Trump. Will they get fellow conservatives to vote Biden?: Alyssa Farah Griffin, Cassidy Hutchinson and Sarah Matthews worked in Trump’s White House. Now they’re trying to keep him from getting back in.

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

Sweden is set to join NATO: What to know about the military alliance

Vying for Commanders stadium, many Md. lawmakers will vote against RFK bill

FX’s ‘Shogun’ is what thrillers wish they were: In the glut of aimless period dramas, ‘Shogun’ keeps its poker face and hits every target

Slaying of Georgia student becomes part of U.S. immigration debate

Democratic operative admits to commissioning Biden AI robocall in New Hampshire: The incident highlights the ease and accessibility by which AI-generated technology is making its way into the 2024 campaign cycle

Reading archive 2023-12-10

Opinion  Actually, people don’t hate the media as much as you think

Opinion  Here’s a realistic path to protecting the Amazon rainforest

Internet sleuths identify lost ‘X-Files’ song, solving 25-year mystery: ‘Staring at the Stars’ was an original country song written at the request of producers, fans discovered

They watched their husbands win the Heisman – then lost them to CTE: For years, Heisman weekend was a chance to remember their husband’s glory. Now it’s a reminder of a sport’s violent toll.

Some states spurn migrants. The Rust Belt wants them. - "In recent months, communities including Detroit; Dayton, Ohio; and Erie, Pa. — all places experiencing population loss — have been working with outside experts on how to transform city services to meet the needs of immigrants. One city, Topeka, Kan., is being even more aggressive, offering legal migrants up to $15,000 to move there."

Ukraine’s Zelensky appears increasingly embattled as U.S. backing wavers

The “Sickening” Story of the Sarah Lawrence Sex Cult: Director Zach Heinzerling on Hulu’s three-part docuseries Stolen Youth, which features firsthand footage and audio of Larry Ray and his young followers: “Each video seemed more horrible than the next.”

What the federal probe into antisemitism, Islamophobia at schools is about

The call of Tokitae: After half a century in a tank, a beloved orca was about to be freed. Then her life ended, and a moment of reckoning began. - "In the water near Tokitae’s pectoral fin, Davis pressed her hand flat against the orca’s side, the place where Davis had always loved to feel that massive heart pumping against her palm. She felt it beat for the last time. In the moment that followed, a low roll of thunder echoed through the stadium — 'as if the sky received her,' she would recall later — and a soft rain began to fall."

Update: Orca abandons body of her dead calf after a heartbreaking, weeks-long journey [ed. note: from five years ago]

Paris Hilton vs. the Crunchy Tradwives: A modern parenting story: There’s nothing unnatural about being a nervous parent who doesn’t know what they’re doing

How Democratic and GOP Senate veterans stopped Tuberville’s military holds: Military veterans from both parties spent months working to find a solution, frustrated over the blockade and its impact on military families

Opinion  The Trump dictatorship: How to stop it

Reading archive 2021-05-27

Mother and partner of fallen Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick request meetings with all GOP senators, urging them to back Jan. 6 commission

Yes, we’ll probably need coronavirus booster shots. But which one?

The best, most emotional and weirdest moments of the ‘Friends’ reunion, which has just one shocking revelation

After decades of waiting, D.C.’s Ivy City to get community center at Crummell School

The dog acknowledged they were a couple. The military did not.

D.C. police arrest suspect in shooting of mother, 5-year-old son

Bowser’s budget, flush with federal dollars, boosts spending on housing, mental health, violence prevention

Police searching for man who shot driver in apparent road-rage incident in Northeast Washington

Reading archive 2020-04-22

How ‘Mrs. America’ gives Shirley Chisholm her due — and exposes the limits of 1970s feminism

Trump instructs the Navy to ‘shoot down and destroy’ Iranian gunboats that ‘harass’ U.S. ships

Senate committee unanimously endorses spy agencies’ finding that Russia interfered in 2016 presidential race in bid to help Trump

CDC director warns second wave of coronavirus is likely to be even more devastating

How a Pandemic Might Play Out Under Trump: It’s not clear that the next administration is ready to deal with an outbreak of Ebola, flu, or other emerging diseases.

Fox News falls out of love with hydroxychloroquine

Meet the minds behind the bizarre, truth-bombing Steak-umm Twitter account

The anti-quarantine protests seem spontaneous. But behind the scenes, a powerful network is helping.

Reading archive 2017-12-20

The Year’s Best Late Night Moments Weren’t Funny at All: In a year when comedy shows were struggling to keep up with news, the sharpest hosts were the ones who embraced sincerity

The Republican Tax Bill Doesn’t Actually Simplify The Tax Code - "By cutting down on the opportunities to wiggle out of paying an annual contribution to the Treasury, governments can reduce the burden of most taxpayers while making the system more fair. The government refers to these benefits as “tax expenditures.” The Treasury’s latest annual roundup lists hundreds of them. According to the TAS, forgone revenue from expenditures ($1.4 trillion) was greater than what Congress budgeted for discretionary spending ($1.2 trillion) in the 2016 fiscal year. But while the Republicans talked about broadening the base and getting rid of many of these expenditures, they never got serious about it. The original Senate bill would have eliminated only one of the 10 most expensive expenditures: the state-and-local-tax deduction. Then Republicans lost their nerve when politicians and supporters from states such as New York, New Jersey and California complained about losing the benefit.

A Brief, Infinite History of Saturn Return: The astrological turning point affects all late 20-somethings. But what does it mean, and why has it become a powerful guide for so many young people?

Paul Ryan on whether the tax bill will add to the deficit: 'Nobody knows the answer to that question'

Sen. Collins, it’s bogus to blame sexism for tax-bill backlash - "She is the only senator who staked her continued presence in the Senate (forgoing a run for governor) on bridging the divide between the parties and who vowed to protect the Obamacare exchanges. What she got was a promise from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to pass two partial offsets that would mitigate some of the harm done by repeal of the individual mandate. She also at the time stated that she’d have a vote on those bills in hand before voting for the tax bill. She doesn’t have that promised vote and likely won’t get the bills through the House (which objects to anything shoring up Obamacare). Collins nevertheless will vote for a bill that included repeal of the individual mandate without receiving any offset. Her vote in that regard is no different from that of other Republicans who vowed to rip up Obamacare root and branch. Her constituents and local media are understandably very upset with her."

Sen. Collins says she will vote ‘yes’ on Republican tax bill: In remarks from the Senate floor Monday, Collins affirms her support and details several amendments she sought to provide relief to middle-income taxpayers. - "The bill would also increase the national debt by at least $1 trillion over 10 years after accounting for economic growth, according to an official congressional analysis. Tax cuts for individuals would expire after nine years, while corporate tax cuts would be permanent. Maine’s Sen. Angus King, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, remains a staunch opponent of the tax bill. The bill, which could be voted on as early as Tuesday, wouldn’t eliminate the ACA, but it would repeal its individual mandate, which would lead to 13 million more uninsured Americans and higher health insurance premiums, according to the Congressional Budget Office."

Democrats unlikely to force DACA vote this week, probably averting shutdown

Scientists stunned by massive snowfall increases among Alaska’s highest peaks

Trump just admitted the GOP’s tax cuts were deceptively sold - "Trump's second admission was about the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate being repealed in the bill. Apparently eager to argue that this constituted him having cut taxes and slew Obamacare in one fell swoop (after Congress came up short on Obamacare this year), he argued that repealing the individual mandate was basically the same as repealing Obamacare. But, he said, he told Republicans not to talk about that. Trump said he told allies to 'be quiet with the fake news media because I don't want them talking too much about it.' 'Now that it's approved, I can say that,' he said."

With this tax bill, the GOP has finally killed family-friendly conservatism