Reading archive 2026-01-16

Democrats see narrow path to retaking the Senate. Watch these states.: Republicans are still clear favorites to retain control of the chamber in the midterms. But Democrats say they are more hopeful about the odds of a big upset.

Trump Cabinet secretaries conspired to violate Constitution, judge says: “The Cabinet secretaries and ostensibly, the president of the United States, are not honoring the First Amendment,” U.S. District Judge William Young declared. - "The 2025 trial revealed the machinery behind the Trump administration’s campus crackdown. Senior administration officials directed personnel at DHS who normally analyze transnational criminal networks to instead produce reports on students involved in pro-Palestinian protests, one official testified."

The Commanders’ new stadium could evoke memories of RFK: The first conceptual renderings of the new stadium, unveiled Thursday morning, showed a sweeping roof, a grand colonnade and plenty of callbacks to RFK Stadium.

John Calipari: How to stop the chaos of college sports: A sustainable model for the NCAA should address the transactional era of athletics.

Congressional Republicans might finally jump off the hamster wheel: Maybe Trump has at last gone too far for GOP legislators tired of going nowhere. - "Hassett predicted that Trump’s 2017 corporate tax cuts would produce a $4,000-$9,000 increase in average household incomes. That has not happened. Early in the pandemic, he predicted it would soon wane. It did not. Writer Steve Chapman, who calls Hassett 'a master of opportunistic amnesia,' notes that no states had gas prices averaging as low as $2 when Hassett said prices are 'below $2 a gallon in a lot of places.'"

CEO of D.C.’s newest hospital resigns less than a year after it opened: Anthony B. Coleman’s departure will mark the latest turnover of management at Cedar Hill Regional Medical Center in Southeast Washington.

In D.C. mayoral bid, Lewis George pledges universal child care, social housing: D.C. Council member Janeese Lewis George unveiled her mayoral campaign platform at a launch party, including policies on housing, jobs, education and public safety.

I just set my farm on fire. It was thrilling.: This has been my winter of living dangerously, and my experiences have boosted my sense of well-being.

An injured NFL team, a power substation and a theory that won’t fade: A viral online theory for the San Francisco 49ers’ injuries is disputed by scientists but has some players’ attention. - "But tracing it to the opening of Levi’s is dubious because the 49ers started practicing next to the substation in 1988, three decades before Levi’s Stadium opened. From 2001 to 2014, the 49ers ranked below average in injuries, according to Aaron Schatz, a veteran NFL analyst who tracks injury reports."

Trump’s anti-climate agenda won’t just hurt the planet, but American incomes too: In this week’s newsletter: US earnings would be 12% higher without the climate crisis, a study reveals – and the hotter the world gets, the greater the economic losses

Democratic Bosses Are Launching a Remake of the 2028 Calendar: States are jockeying for an early spot and a greater say in the nominee.

Elizabeth Warren’s Abundant Mistakes: Her critique of moderate Democrats is a mischaracterization of her opponents within the party. - "At one point in her speech, for instance, Warren claimed that Donald Trump 'is trying to push out the chairman of the Federal Reserve Board and complete his corrupt takeover of America's central bank-so that it serves his interests, along with his billionaire friends'.' Is it true that Trump's billionaire friends would benefit from undermining central-bank independence? The billionaires don't seem especially excited about this aspect of Trump's power grab." [ed. note: in fact, rich people hate inflation, because it makes their money worth less]

America Has Entered Late-Stage Protein: This has gone too far.

MAGA’s Jewish Intellectuals Helped Create Their Own Predicament: The nascent effort to contain the spread of anti-Semitism is years overdue.

Rubio Won; Liberty Lost: Is it really a win when the regime you detest stays in place?

UPenn faculty condemn Trump administration’s demand for ‘lists of Jews’: Groups say EEOC demand for names and personal details echoes dark history and threatens safety and civil rights

Suspect arrested in predawn fire that left parts of Mississippi’s largest synagogue in charred ruins: Jackson Fire Department rules arson at Beth Israel Congregation, the city’s only Jewish house of worship.

Suspect in Mississippi synagogue fire laughed as he confessed to his dad, authorities say - "Pittman appeared in federal court on Monday afternoon via video conference, accompanied by a public defender. He affirmed to the judge, Andrew Harris, that he was competent and sober. Pittman appeared to be leaning back in his chair, gazing away from the camera. When the judge asked him if he understood his rights to an attorney, Pittman responded, 'Yes sir, Jesus Christ is Lord.'"

Trump's Tangled Web of Deal-Making, Policy and Riches

Reading archive 2026-01-13

Trump is trying to change how the midterm elections are conducted: Many of these endeavors go far beyond typical political persuasion, challenging long-established democratic norms.

You’re the reason your home is disorganized. Here’s how to fix that.: Sixteen pieces of tough love from professional home organizers.

New federal spending bill for D.C. seeks to prevent repeat of 2025’s $1B cut: The House and Senate appropriations bill also boosts funding for a D.C. scholarship program and includes $90 million in police funding.

Congress agrees to fund Voice of America, bucking Trump shutdown order: The Trump administration has tried to eliminate funding for the U.S. Agency for Global Media, which oversees VOA. Appropriators in Congress have had other ideas.

EPA says it will no longer consider health costs in pollution regulations: The EPA weakened emissions standards for new power plants and said it would no longer consider the economic impacts of public health in rule making.

The EPA’s shock and awe deregulatory push learns from past mistakes: The EPA aims to push its rules changes into court as fast as possible to cement the administration’s agenda with final judgments before Trump leaves office. - "In addition, the Trump administration’s efforts to reduce the size of government may be slowing down its deregulatory agenda, simply because there are not enough people on staff to do the work."

Congressional staffer allegedly stole 240 cell phones from government: Officials say Christopher Southerland had the phones shipped directly to his Maryland home before selling them.

Once-revered trans activist Ruby Corado sentenced for defrauding government: A federal judge ordered the founder of Casa Ruby to serve 33 months in prison, pay more than $900,000 in restitution and report to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Why you should consider a jumping spider as your next pet: If we can get beyond our fears, spiders, beetles, caterpillars and other creepy-crawlies can make for fine family companions.

Trump picks up the phone and calls Sen. Elizabeth Warren: The unlikely conversation came after years of antipathy between the two politicians, including the president’s derogatory use of the nickname “Pocahontas” to describe her.

Trump’s Shrinking Coalition: The president can no longer present himself as anti-system, because he has become the system.

The YIMBY Hero Everyone Is Shouting At: Scott Wiener—a pro-trans Zionist who wants California to allow more homes—has an extreme tolerance for pushback. - "In Democratic cities, people demand 38 meetings and three dozen environmental assessments before tearing down a crack den to build a nursery for sad orphans. Voters, Wiener argues, want politicians who are 'willing to break glass to get those things done.'"

The Hole in Trump’s Rationale for Acquiring Greenland: The office dedicated to countering China and Russia in the Arctic has been axed.

Big Oil Knows That Trump’s Venezuela Plans Are Delusional: The president’s thinking is stuck in the 1980s.

Reading archive 2026-01-12

New NASA head appears to slow controversial Discovery shuttle move: Jared Isaacman, the new NASA administrator, signaled he was open to offering other spacecraft to Texas instead of the one housed at the Smithsonian. Opponents of the transfer welcomed his comments. - "The Smithsonian said in September that it had been approached by the Office of Management and Budget to work with NASA to prepare for the relocation of Discovery within 18 months. The Institution cautioned the transfer would require 'significant disassembly' of the shuttle that they feared 'will destroy its historical value.' Along with NASA, the institution estimated the move would cost from $120 million to $150 million. Sen. Cornyn’s office has called the estimate 'purposefully overblown' and accused the Smithsonian of going outside of its purview in raising concerns."

California is adding a supplement to tortillas. RFK Jr. calls it ‘insanity.’: California now requires corn masa flour to contain folic acid to reduce birth defects among Latinos. Some conservatives oppose it, citing government overreach. - "The new requirement is part of national effort to add folic acid, already required in other types of flour, to corn masa. Alabama’s version of the law takes effect in June, and lawmakers in Florida, Georgia and Oklahoma are considering similar legislation.

...

"Since the start of those efforts, the rates of neural tube birth defects for White women and other groups dropped 40 percent, but remained high for Latinas, studies have found."

Exxon CEO calls Venezuela ‘uninvestable’ without ‘significant changes’: At Trump meeting with oil executives, he vows they will spend $100 billion. The companies worry the numbers don’t add up. - "'It would be like going to Brazil, taking them over for their cattle, and then flooding the American beef market with it,' he said. 'That’s the analogy we see in the oil and gas business.'"

The Iranian regime is caught in a death spiral: Tehran tamps down the unrest again, but the protesters will be back.

D.C. police arrest man in death of officer hit by car while on duty: Jerrold Coates, 47, was charged with second-degree murder, two weeks after Officer Terry Bennett was fatally injured while aiding a stranded motorist

Former D.C. officer sentenced to 27 years in sex trafficking of teen girls: The case marks the second time in a decade that Linwood Barnhill Jr., now 59, was ordered imprisoned for recruiting underaged girls to be sex workers.

Suspect arrested after fire damages Mississippi’s largest synagogue: The suspect is facing an arson charge in the state, and the FBI and ATF are considering opening a federal case, Jackson’s chief fire investigator said.

Running deficits larger than during the Great Depression is reckless: A bipartisan group of House members are rallying behind a welcome and reasonable target for 2030.

Eyes are on Gorsuch as Supreme Court weighs rights of trans athletes: The conservative justice has provided the key swing vote on recent cases involving gay and transgender rights

A powerful force has been holding back the housing market. It’s finally easing.: The U.S. housing market recently reached a key milestone that could lead to more buying and selling.

Scientists are inventing treatments for devastating diseases. There’s just one problem. Genetic therapies could be used to treat hundreds of diseases. The path to patients is tricky.

Smithsonian removes Trump impeachment text as it swaps his portrait: A Trump official previously complained about a caption beside his National Portrait Gallery photo mentioning his impeachments and the U.S. Capitol insurrection.

Hundreds of Iranian protesters feared killed; U.S. considers military strikes: Trump administration national security officials were preparing to meet on potential responses, including a range of military options.

Ukraine’s ex-commander in chief, envoy to Britain and maybe next president: Gen. Valery Zaluzhny’s distance from Kyiv, possibly an attempt to sideline his political ambitions, has left him at a safe remove from tensions back home. - "Ukrainian law prohibits presidential elections under martial law, and democracy experts have noted the seeming absurdity of Putin complaining that Zelensky has stayed in office beyond the normal length of a term because of a war that Russia started, while Putin rewrote Russia’s constitution to eliminate term limits and has long won elections widely derided as neither free nor fair."

Reading archive 2026-01-08

The Smithsonian Faces New Pressure to Submit to Trump’s Will: The institution, long regarded as independent, is facing a White House deadline to hand over records about its content and will see turnover that could reshape its governing board.

D.C. leaders push back on U.S. DOT proposal to ban city traffic cameras: The proposal could cost D.C. more than $100 million and strike at the heart of traffic safety efforts.

Can AI do your job? See the results from hundreds of tests.: Comparing how AI systems and humans did on real work assignments shows how close tools like ChatGPT really are to taking jobs away from people.

U.S. vows to control Venezuela oil sales ‘indefinitely’: The move comes as officials struggle to persuade U.S. firms to invest in expansive drilling operations there. - "Using taxpayer-funded cash subsidies to incentivize oil companies to pump abroad would be unprecedented, industry analysts say. But the White House faces a steep challenge persuading firms to drill in a politically and economically unstable country that has burned them in the past by expropriating assets worth billions and then leaving U.S.-built oil infrastructure to rot."

The McMansion Got a New Look This Year. Enter: the McModern: The mass-produced version of the American dream is sleeker and more private than ever - "Whatever does make the cut determines the building’s massing. 'If you look at McMansions, the form follows the function, and the function is the accumulation of amenities,' says Wagner. 'It’s the interiorization of the city into a single building.' Amenity proliferation represents a more extreme definition of contemporary luxury living, she adds. 'The mindset of the rich in America is that they have no obligation to social life,' Wagner says. In other words, they want to create a space where everything is at their fingertips and there’s no need for them to mix with the outside world.

"This 'castle doctrine,' Wagner calls it, finds its roots further back in history, as does the showiness of the mass, scale, amenities, and views offered by McModerns. At the front, these homes are screened for privacy with plants or behind gates. 'After a maze of gardens or pathways, when you finally step into the entrance and foyer, you want the money shot,' says Ippolito. Once inside, 'you want to design glimpses of it through all the windows as you pass the house.'"

Why is crime plummeting in the most liberal places in the world?: Plus: less has changed than people expected in 1998, falling American death rates, and more

Eleanor Holmes Norton’s longtime staffer to run for her seat in Congress: Trent Holbrook, who most recently was the congresswoman’s senior legislative counsel, joins a crowded field hoping to serve as D.C.’s nonvoting delegate.

Why D.C.’s next council member will be chosen by lawmakers, not voters: In an unprecedented situation, the D.C. Council will select an interim member to serve until a special election is held. How exactly to proceed is causing infighting. - "Council member Kenyan R. McDuffie (I-At Large) resigned from the council effective Monday to set up a mayoral run. D.C. law says it is up to the council to select an interim replacement, but the law is vague on exactly how lawmakers should go about choosing their new colleague."

Five years after Jan. 6, officers describe the toll of defending the Capitol: In his first day in office, Trump pardoned nearly 1,600 people in the Jan. 6th Capitol riot. The country has moved on, but for some the day still looms large.

Senate passes bill to block further military action in Venezuela: Though largely symbolic, the vote was a rare assertion of Congress’s role in using lethal force after the stunning raid to capture Nicolás Maduro.

Tony Dokoupil Eats Heaps Of Shit In First Week As CBS News Anchor - "The key to Weiss's professional success has always been her self-absorption, her ability to convince herself, and those in positions of wealth and influence, that her own strange perspective is the dominant one."

Pardon my coup: Accurate political journalism requires a bias toward democracy - "Donald Trump and his supporters do not believe in the fundamental aspect of democracy: the legitimacy of the opposition. Members of the MAGA tribe are authoritarian in their wielding of power. They have a weak, at best, commitment to free speech and expression. They believe in the unrestricted use of military power. And their leader is a liar and a cheater who has teased countless times to remain in power beyond his last term in office."

The Military Isn’t MAGA: The Trump administration attempts to silence veterans. - "When criticizing the leader becomes a crime, being a criminal becomes an obligation."

The Giant, Voracious Sea Lions That Humans Cannot Stop: Killing the protected animals may be the only way to stop them from eating too many of the Pacific Northwest’s endangered salmon.

The Friend-Group Fallacy: Many people yearn for a crew, but having one is not actually the norm.

Reading archive 2026-01-06

Disgust Over Jan. 6 Is No Longer Bipartisan

Officers who defended the Capitol on Jan. 6 say their struggles linger, 5 years after the riot

This is Europe’s secret weapon against Trump: it could burst his AI bubble - "First, Dutch company ASML commands a global monopoly on the microchip-etching machines that use light to carve patterns on silicon. These machines are essential for Nvidia, the AI microchip giant that is now the world’s most valuable company. ASML is one of Europe’s most valuable companies, and European banks and private equity are also invested in AI. Withholding these silicon-etching machines would be difficult for Europe, and extremely painful for the Dutch economy. But it would be far more painful for Trump. 

"The US’s feverish investment in AI and the datacentres it relies on will hit a wall if European export controls slow or stop exports to the US – and to Taiwan, where Nvidia produces its most advanced chips. Via this lever, Europe has the means to decide whether and by how much the US economy expands or contracts. 

"Second, and much easier for Europe, is the enforcement of the EU’s long-neglected data rules against big US tech companies. Confidential corporate documents made public in US litigation show how vulnerable companies such as Google can be to the enforcement of basic data rules. Meanwhile, Meta has been unable to tell a US court what its internal systems do with your data, or who can access it, or for what purpose."

How Walmart And Pepsico Rigged Prices And Supercharged Food Inflation

‘Their first instinct was to loot’: how Trump’s acolytes are plundering the Kennedy Center - "Democrats on the committee said they obtained documents that suggest the national cultural centre is being operated as a 'slush fund and private club for Trump’s friends and political allies', resulting in millions of dollars in losses and a significant deviation from its statutory mission."

A Horseshoe Theory of Trump: His economic approach combines libertarianism and authoritarianism. - "Trump's economic management combines two theoretically incompatible tendencies. It is at once libertarian, because the state is doing less to protect consumers and workers, and authoritarian, because the government sometimes lawlessly interrupts the workings of the free market in service of the personal and ideological interests of Trump and his allies. This makes MAGA economics a seemingly impossible hybrid: libertarian authoritarianism.

...

"Authoritarianism and libertarianism are commonly thought of as opposites-two poles on a political spectrum. It is a sign of Trump's distinctive political genius that he has managed to combine the two concepts. By tearing down generally applicable restraints on corporate behavior while selectively exerting direct influence to reward his allies and punish his critics, he has managed to preserve all the flaws of the old Republican economic approach while introducing new ones that are even worse."

Trump Seizing Greenland Could Set Off a Chain Reaction: After Venezuela, Europeans are taking the president’s threats seriously. - "A Danish lawmaker, who spoke with us on the condition of anonymity to address the security situation candidly, said that the very notion of the U.S. invading Greenland-both mounting an invasion and defending against it-is absurd. The island is nearly four times the size of France and is mostly ice. The lawmaker told us that Danes are particularly baffled by Trump's designs on Greenland because he could accomplish all of his security objectives by working with Denmark, a committed U.S. ally. During the Cold War, there was even a nuclear-powered U.S. base built under Greenlandic ice. 'If the Americans want another military base, just say where,' the lawmaker said. 'If you want a radar, you can put it up.'"

Trump’s ‘American Dominance’ May Leave Us With Nothing: The president’s moves in Venezuela foretell a new global system. - "If America is just a regional bully, after all, then our former allies in Europe and Asia will close their doors and their markets to us. Sooner or later, 'our' Western Hemisphere will organize against us and fight back. Far from making us more powerful, the pursuit of American dominance will make us weaker, eventually leaving us with no sphere, and no influence, at all."

You Won’t Believe Who Trump Told About Venezuela Attack Ahead of Time: Here’s a hint: it wasn’t Congress.

The data center rebellion is here, and it’s reshaping the political landscape As the buildout of AI infrastructure alarms communities, it is fast emerging as a potent electoral issue across the political divide - "Many of the neighbors fighting the project in Sand Springs voted for Trump three times and also backed Republican Gov. J. Kevin Stitt, who implores tech firms to build in his state."

Emails outline potential cuts affecting thousands of FEMA disaster responders: DHS Secretary Kristi Noem has said she wants to reduce FEMA’s staff by half. Drafted plans show how it can happen.

Mamdani’s new tenant advocate wants to seize private property: Socialists keep dreaming of collectivism, as New Yorkers suffer from unserious housing policy. [ed. note: the WaPo editorial board continues to spiral out]

Corporation for Public Broadcasting, gutted of federal funds, votes to dissolve: President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans succeeded this summer in stripping federal funds from public media. Now the 58-year-old organization is gone.

George Conway, critical of Trump, enters crowded Democratic House primary: In an interview, the newly registered Democrat emphasized his opposition to the president, as he seeks to stand out in a packed open race in New York.

Congress has four weeks to dodge another shutdown: Appropriators are rushing to complete full-year spending bills before the Jan. 30 deadline.

Lawmakers battle over how — and whether — Jan. 6 should be remembered: A hidden plaque honoring the police who defended the Capitol during the 2021 insurrection has sparked new fights between Democrats and Republicans.

He was attacked on Jan. 6. Can he make sense of it for the kids he teaches?: Nathan Tate was a D.C. police officer defending the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. Now he’s trying to find the lesson in it.

Humans May Be Able to Grow New Teeth Within Just 4 Years: Scientists are on the verge of a dental miracle.

Debunking the AI food delivery hoax that fooled Reddit: A “whistleblower” tried to corroborate his viral post with AI-generated evidence. This is how I caught him. PLUS: Grok's image-generation crisis, and the rapture over Claude Opus 4.5 - "While AI systems are notoriously unreliable at identifying their own outputs, Google Gemini can detect SynthID watermarks embedded in images that it produces."

15 Scenarios That Could Stun the World in 2026: Futurists, political analysts and other forecasters on the possible “Black Swan” events of the new year.

Call Trump's power grab in Venezuela what it is: Corporate media must recognize they're being openly lied to—and report accordingly. - "From a journalist's perspective, however, it’s much more challenging to figure out how to cover a president who you know is actively lying to you. But it’s a challenge we reject at our own peril."

This once iconic oyster industry crashed. Soon, harvesting will begin again.: Florida’s Apalachicola Bay once supplied more than 90 percent of the state’s oysters. But it has been off-limits to harvesting for five years. That changes Jan. 1.

Why smaller houses can lead to happier lives: It turns out asking “Are you happy with your home?” yields a very different answer than “Are you happy with your life?”

Republican Rep. LaMalfa dies, further narrowing GOP’s House majority: The death of the seven-term congressman, coupled with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s vacating her seat Tuesday, means Republicans are likely to face trouble advancing partisan legislation.

Do wind turbines kill birds?: Yes—but only a fraction as many as are killed by house cats, buildings, or even the fossil fuel operations that wind farms replace.

U.S. State That Abandoned Canadian Tourists Tries Again As Canada’s Travel Boycott Hits The Holidays

Reading archive 2026-01-05

Trump Almost Has a Point About the Federal Reserve: The central bank has long abused its power in ways that benefit the financial sector at the expense of everyone else. - "If, however, the Court rules against Trump—as it is widely expected to do—congressional Democrats should not consider the matter of Fed independence resolved. Instead, a future Democratic administration and Congress should pass legislation preserving the Fed’s independent power to set monetary policy, while stripping most other authorities away from the central bank. The logic of central-bank independence simply does not apply to such matters as bank regulation and payment systems, which ought to be subject to democratic control.

...

"Trump’s attacks on America’s bedrock institutions deserve a thoughtful response, not a defensive one. Trump often identifies real problems, even if he offers terrible solutions. The Federal Reserve has abused its independence for decades, substituting its judgment for the law with no mechanisms to hold it accountable. As a spate of recent insider-trading scandals among senior Fed officials demonstrates, the institution can’t even hold its own personnel accountable."

Suspect in Jan. 6 pipe bomb case indicted on federal charges: Brian Cole Jr. was charged with planting explosive devices near the RNC and DNC headquarters on Jan. 5, 2021. He was ordered jailed pending trial.

D.C. police sergeant accused of waving gun in Md. road-rage encounter: Authorities said Sgt. Kaila Crews has been placed on leave by the department after being charged with assault and other crimes in the December incident.

How the Smithsonian’s National Zoo feeds its animals

Progressives, don’t force 20th-century rules on 21st-century workers: Gig work is facing death by a thousand regulatory cuts. [ed. note: Manhattan Institute hack. From comment section: "We need to classify these innocent sounding gig 'apps' as technology monopolies that control large chunks of the labor force, but refuse to follow well established employment practices under Labor Law."]

Evangelicals’ support for Israel is dropping. 1,000 pastors want to reverse that.: Alarmed by anti-Israel sentiment from conservative influencers, the religious leaders traveled en masse to Israel to counter podcasters’ messaging. - "Carlson in recent months has hosted a range of anti-Israel conspiracy theorists. Among them were: amateur historian Darryl Cooper, who implied on the show that Jews’ deaths in the Holocaust were a result of poor Nazi planning, not genocidal intent; Owens, who said Israel is a 'demonic nation' and that it had a role in the killing of Charlie Kirk; and Fuentes, who told Carlson the major roadblock to American unity is 'organized Jewry.' They all frame their comments on Israel as part of an 'America first' agenda that they say has been unfairly framed as antisemitic."

Perennials for the Shady Side

‘Blind Into Caracas.’: Less than 24 hours in, members of the Trump team are celebrating victory. None of them seem to have wondered what happens a day, a month, a decade from now. - "Special horseshit award for Marco Rubio. He claimed that the Trump team couldn’t let anyone in Congress know about the Maduro mission ahead of time, for fear of leaks. And that this caution extended even to the “Gang of Eight” in Congress. These are the select, bipartisan assemblage of leaders who are supposed to be briefed on the most sensitive security matters—and who (in contrast to the Trump team) have had over the decades zero cases of leaking sensitive information before military operations. 

"Rubio knows full well that the most grievous leaks in the Trump era have come either from Trump himself or from Pete Hegseth. (Including the pathetically incompetent WhatsApp Signal group chat.) To be clear, Rubio knows that what he was saying today was false—his claim that elite Congressional intelligence committees cannot keep secrets. But he said it anyway, because it is what Trump wanted to hear. This is what we call lying in normal life." [ed. note: also a couple great comments for understanding just how difficult Venezuala's ultra-heavy crude is to process]

A Criminal Empire: The United States launches a conquest and occupation of Venezuela to extract its oil wealth. The neocon dream is the America First dream

Trump's Critics Are Falling Into an Obvious Trap: The capture of Nicolás Maduro is a show of ambition that calls for an effective response. [ed. note: good critique, no solution offered]

Iranians Have Had Enough: The demonstrations erupting across the Islamic Republic reflect deep economic and political discontent. - "Opponents of the Islamic Republic remain hopelessly disorganized and disunited. Some protesters have chanted slogans in favor of Reza Pahlavi, Iran's exiled crown prince. But Pahlavi remains a divisive figure among anti-regime Iranians. Many reject his claim to leadership. Pahlavi's supporters and top advisers routinely criticize popular domestic dissidents including the Nobel Peace laureate Narges Mohammadi, actress Taraneh Alidoosti, and rapper Toumaj Salehi. Earlier this month, Mohammadi was physically attacked by pro-Pahlavi protesters in the northeastern city of Mashhad. 

"Regardless of their politics, all opposition factions have failed to build powerful organizations or lasting networks that could direct the protests. Without such direction, the current protests are likely to lose momentum and fizzle out, just like previous rounds. Even if they were to last, it is far likelier that figures from inside the regime's ranks would take the initiative and wrest power from Khamenei, than that the protesters would succeed in bringing about a change to the regime's basic structures."

Britain Should Have Read the Tweets First The case of Alaa Abd el-Fattah is a test of Britain’s values. - "The situation is deeply embarrassing for Starmer, who welcomed Abd el-Fattah's arrival in Britain so warmly. He now claims not to have known about the "absolutely abhorrent" tweets and is promising to 'review the information failures in this case.' Apparently, despite years of campaigning for this guy, the combined might of the British civil service never thought to search his Twitter handle. If the authorities had conducted even a cursory background check, they would have found opinions such as this (now-deleted) assertion from 2012: 'I'm a racist, I don't like white people so piss off.'

...

"Starmer, a former human-rights lawyer, approaches every problem with an arid obsession with process rather than outcome-as if, when people follow every dot and comma of the rules, nothing bad can happen and no one should complain."

Reading archive 2025-12-08

Pssst. Even a healthy Jayden Daniels hasn’t been very good.: The second-year quarterback’s regression from a starry rookie season goes beyond the fact that he has struggled to stay on the field for the Commanders.

The ACC broke the College Football Playoff, and Notre Dame paid the price: The trickle-down effects of a bloated conference crowning an illogical champion led to the Fighting Irish missing the 12-team playoff field.

Ask a Vet: Is it cruel to neuter my dog?: The debate over a common procedure — and why some countries view it as a form of mutilation.

Donald Trump’s Kennedy Center is showier, emptier and more political: In 10 months, the president has transformed Washington’s cultural hub. Now comes his biggest night yet: the Kennedy Center Honors.

A show of Australian Indigenous art should have inspired awe. It’s a mess.: “The Stars We Do Not See” at the National Gallery of Art tells — and muddies — one of the most fascinating stories in 20th-century art.

Glyphosate safety article retracted eight years after Monsanto ghostwriting revealed in court - "This is how man created Astrology, which is effectively a random collection of lights in a 2-D view of a 3-D universe from Earth, correlated with some human affair."

I was a red state governor. What I saw at Harvard surprised me. The spirit of association remains alive in unexpected places. - "What I’ve experienced may be a natural return to Harvard’s more moderate bearings, following noisy displays of intolerance by campus agitators in recent years. Or it may be due to the Trump administration’s forceful executive orders and fiscal pressure. Either way (and it’s probably both), let’s take the win and learn the broader lesson." [ed. note: he wasn't there, so how would he know it has changed at all?]

How Florida lost track of 30,000 students, a ‘cautionary tale’ for vouchers: The state’s auditor general found “a myriad of accountability problems” in the nation’s largest voucher program.

Trump announces $11 billion tariff relief for farmers: Farmers — particularly those who produce soybeans — have felt the effect of the president’s trade policies.

GOP bill to overhaul D.C. bail system could balloon jail population: Republicans in Congress want to end cashless bail in D.C. and hold more suspects in jail before trial. Watchdogs say it could push the jail system to the brink. - "Data shows that such instances are rare. In D.C., in the first three quarters of fiscal year 2025, 90 percent of people did not reoffend while released, according to the federal Pretrial Services Agency; about 1.2 percent committed a violent offense while released."

Suspect in Jan. 6 pipe bomb case appears in court as probe continues: News of Brian Cole Jr.’s arrest came as a shock to a person who has been in regular contact with him for more than a decade.

D.C. Police Chief Pamela Smith is stepping down: D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser praised Smith for her service but did not offer a reason for her departure. Smith said she resigned to spend more time with family.

The quest to slow aging leads scientists into the powerhouse of cells: Texas A&M researchers create mini mitochondria factories using tiny nanoflowers.

Democrats, who once lambasted Trump on immigration, have grown quiet: The lack of a unified voice comes as the crackdown on minority communities, including legal residents, has grown more aggressive.

Why Miami’s Trump backers are clashing with the ‘America First’ wing over Venezuela: As Trump threatens strongman Nicolás Maduro, Venezuelan and Cuban American supporters are urging the president to do whatever it takes to oust him. - "The Trump administration has said it is targeting Venezuela as part of a crackdown on drug trafficking, though the country is not one of the main suppliers of illicit drugs to the United States. Most fentanyl in the United States comes from Mexico, and most cocaine from Colombia. Very little of Venezuela’s drug production flows into U.S. borders, current and former U.S. officials say."

The tech fix that can clear the Western range of its barbed wire: GPS-based virtual fences clear migration corridors for wildlife while cutting costs for ranchers. - "This technology holds promise in part because ranchers themselves are not fence-lovers. Range fencing requires frequent repair, robbing ranchers of time they would prefer to invest in managing their herds. At upwards of $15,000 a mile, range fencing is also expensive, both to ranchers and to taxpayers. In 2018, the U.S. Agriculture Department subsidized more than $300 million of fencing on private ranch land.

"With virtual fencing, a cow is adorned with a solar-powered collar that communicates with a mapping app via satellite, cell or local reception tower to warn it — by an increasingly loud tone, followed by a mild electric shock — as it approaches a virtual fence line. Cows are not terribly smart, but they can be trained with the technology within a practice pasture in a few days. The current collars are a bit clunky. Cornell University scientists are developing an ear tag that does the same thing as the bulky collar."

The College Football Playoff Chose Outrage Notre Dame is out. Alabama and Miami are in. And the College Football Playoff committee just did what it does best. - "The conference title games exist to make money. To continue making money, they need teams to want to play in them. Telling the SEC runner-up that it would have made the playoff had it just stayed at home on Saturday, but now it’s been eliminated because it showed up and got its ass kicked, would undermine the entire point of college football: making people rich."

Reading archive 2025-12-03

 A sickening moral slum of an administration: Regarding Venezuela, Ukraine and much more, Trump and his acolytes are worse than simply incompetent. - "Two weeks ago, the chief of staff of the French army said: 'We have the know-how, and we have the economic and demographic strength to dissuade the regime in Moscow. What we are lacking … is the spirit which accepts that we will have to suffer if we are to protect what we are. If our country wavers because it is not ready to lose its children … or to suffer economically because the priority has to be military production, then we are indeed at risk.'"

Drunk raccoon passes out in bathroom after ransacking Va. liquor store: The furry bandit was returned to the wild after sobering up. Authorities said he had no signs of injury “other than maybe a hangover and poor life choices.”

Costco sues Trump administration over tariffs, seeks full refund: Trump justified his sweeping tariffs by calling the U.S. trade deficit a “national emergency.” Costco’s suit alleges his signature economic policy is unlawful.

D.C. Council extends stricter youth curfew through April: In addition to extending the curfew, a D.C. Council member put forward and then withdrew an attempt to delay the implementation of ranked-choice voting.

After restaurant pushback, D.C. likely to change streatery rules: Some restaurateurs have said they can’t afford to comply with the city’s new program.

Republicans begin to tighten the screws on Hegseth’s Pentagon: GOP frustration with Trump’s defense secretary has intensified, with some lawmakers questioning their confidence in him as key committees pursue an aggressive oversight campaign.

It’s a strange ‘charity’ that pays fired football coaches $228M: The government should not treat university athletic departments like food banks. - "Plumbing this issue more thoroughly, Thomas asked, 'Why should the Federal government subsidize the athletic activities of educational institutions when that subsidy is being used to help pay for escalating coaches’ salaries, costly chartered travel, and state-of-the-art athletic facilities?'"

Reading archive 2025-10-31

As Hong Kong waged shadow war in Britain, ex-Royal Marine became a casualty: U.K. officials have tracked what they describe as an escalating campaign of surveillance and intimidation against Hong Kong exiles living in Britain.

He’s cleared 35,000 pounds of trash from Miami’s mangroves and isn’t done yet

Judge says she’ll likely order Trump administration to send SNAP funds to states: The move could keep food assistance flowing despite the federal government shutdown.

D.C. police chief wants to make juvenile curfew zone policy permanent: Lawmakers declined to extend the temporary measure enacted in the summer because, they said, the public hadn’t weighed in.

Teen charged with killing girlfriend, shooting congressional intern: Naqwan Lucas, 18, is the third teen arrested in the slaying of Eric Tarpinian-Jachym on a D.C. sidewalk this summer.

Trump now plays by China’s rules: The U.S. wins through openness and innovation, not tariffs and centralized planning. - "President Donald Trump loves playing by China Rules. He seems to admire Xi Jinping’s power — personal, discretionary, centralized. In his second term he has threatened blanket tariffs, personally intervened in the semiconductor supply chain, demanded a government stake in Intel, carved out special permissions for selling Nvidia chips in China (while taking a 15 percent cut for the U.S.) and acted as the banker on TikTok’s sale."

Presidential power and the Supreme Court’s own stature ride on this case: The momentous tariffs case will undermine or buttress the Constitution’s separation of powers.

Ohio approves new House map giving Republicans a leg up in two more seats: The new map received rare bipartisan agreement because Republicans who control the state legislature did not want to risk an election challenge from Democrats.

As U.S. ramps up the pressure, Venezuela pleads with Moscow, Beijing for help: Documents show Maduro drafted letter asking Russia for missiles, radars and upgraded aircraft as U.S. forces amass in the Caribbean.

In Trump’s GOP, the once-mighty tea party is hard to find: Since the movement upended politics 15 years ago, Republicans have moved in a sharply different direction under MAGA — with many tea party veterans along for the ride. - "'We feared government tyranny. We feared a strong executive. We feared oppressive government, any president who would take a flamethrower to the Constitution,' said former congressman Joe Walsh of Illinois, a tea party Republican who has since become a podcaster and anti-Trump Democrat. 'Now, the very thing we feared is in office.'"

Reading archive 2025-04-22 pt 1

Trump Wants to Rewrite History at the Smithsonian. It’ll Be an Uphill Battle: The president’s recent executive order directed at the institution will face a lot of procedural headwinds before he can MAGA-ify its approach to teaching the country its history.

Half a million honeybees dead in suspected poisoning at Army veteran’s farm: The Virginia farm’s owner estimates that the damage could total almost $20,000 and says that it was a premeditated attack.

She told Trump the Smithsonian needs changing. He’s ordered her to do it.: Who is Lindsey Halligan, the attorney assigned to help remove “improper ideology” from a major cultural institution?

Sam Altman Admits That Saying "Please" and "Thank You" to ChatGPT Is Wasting Millions of Dollars in Computing Power: "You never know."

Larry David: My Dinner With Adolf

D.C., Commanders close to a stadium deal at RFK site: The potential agreement comes after months of talks between the administration of D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) and the team.

D.C., Commanders discussing $3.2 billion public-private stadium deal: The deal would cost $856 million, Chairman Phil Mendelson (D) said, adding he feared taxpayers could ultimately spend north of $1 billion.

U.S. intelligence contradicts Trump’s justification for mass deportations: The determination is the most comprehensive assessment to date undercutting the president’s rationale for deporting suspected gang members without due process.

China’s leader Xi Jinping holds talks in Cambodia to wrap up his 3-nation Southeast Asia tour

Ashley St. Clair Just Spilled All of Elon Musk’s ‘Harem Drama’: Speaking to the Wall Street Journal, St. Clair also divulged further details about her interactions with Jared Birchall, the man Musk charges with keeping his “harem” in check.

Protein propaganda is everywhere. Here’s what the science actually says.: Most people can get adequate protein without adding whey shakes and massive servings of meat to their plates.

What the science says about intermittent fasting: The data are mixed on whether intermittent fasting can help you lose weight. As a doctor, here’s my advice: Try the Mediterranean diet instead.

Texas was once affordable. After hail and hurricanes, not anymore.: Worsening storms fueled by climate change, coupled with inflation, are driving some of the highest home insurance costs in the country.

One day of tiny climate actions: For Earth Day 2025, here are simple planet-friendly activities that people can incorporate into their lives, starting with their morning shower.

Is It Even Worth It to Become a Doctor or Lawyer Anymore?: Attacks on prestige law firms are forcing white-collar millennials to renegotiate the deals they’ve made with bosses and themselves. It could get ugly. - "As sociologist C. Wright Mills put it all the way back in 1951: 'White-collar workers are often closer in their economic fate and social reality to wage-workers than to the owners of the businesses they work for.'"

What If China Wins the Trade War?: The United States could still prevail if it does everything right. The problem is that the Trump administration is doing everything wrong.

The Scramble to Save Rural Health Care From DOGE: Can an Alabama health clinic survive Musk’s “chainsaw for bureaucracy”?

‘You Think We’re Afraid of America?’: Chinese manufacturers seem ready for a trade war.

Reading archive 2025-02-10

Trump’s tariff tactics are an unpromising foreign policy anomaly: There’s no U.S. precedent for Trump’s tariff use. But it does evoke China’s economic bullying. - "Most countries bullied by Beijing have turned against China and found alternative markets. In a Pew Research Center poll last year, 85 percent of Australians and 71 percent of South Koreans expressed unfavorable views of China. That is a massive turnaround from about a decade ago, before China launched trade wars against those countries. In 2015, Pew found that 57 percent of Australians and 61 percent of South Koreans had a favorable view of China."

The right-wing bubble absorbs D.C.: During Trump’s first term, misinformation was not nearly as rampant as it is today.

Venezuelans backed Trump. Now some worry he’ll deport them.: Venezuelans in the Miami suburb of Doral have been some of Trump’s biggest proponents. Many feel betrayed after he revoked temporary protected status for thousands.

U.S. intelligence, law enforcement candidates face Trump loyalty test: Candidates for top intelligence and law enforcement jobs were asked to give “yes” or “no” responses to questions such as: Was Jan. 6 “an inside job?” - "The questions included: Who were the 'real patriots' on Jan. 6? Who won the 2020 election? Who is your 'real boss?'"

In Idaho, a preview of RFK Jr.’s vaccine-skeptical America: This Idaho health district banned public clinics from distributing the coronavirus vaccine as widespread fear during the pandemic fades from public memory.

Son charged with killing father in front of 2-year-old in D.C. apartment: Police said the father and son had been arguing and that the victim had accused his son of stealing money.

Amtrak agrees to pay $505 million for control of Union Station: The passenger rail company took control of businesses in the station last year through eminent domain.

Jan. 6 defendant also wants pardon for 2022 plot to kill FBI agents: The Tennessee man claims his attempts to attack the FBI were “related” to Jan. 6, so his conviction should be thrown out.

Judge bars publicly naming FBI agents who investigated Jan. 6 cases: An internal battle between the Trump Justice Dept. and its primary investigative arm led to lawsuits by agents who investigated him and the 2021 Capitol riot.

Farmers on the hook for millions after Trump freezes USDA funds: The White House had repeatedly said the funding freeze would not affect benefits that go directly to individuals.

In chaotic Washington blitz, Elon Musk’s ultimate goal becomes clear: Shrink government, control data and — according to one official closely watching the billionaire’s DOGE — replace “the human workforce with machines.”

Attacks on Catholics, Lutherans suggest new Trump approach on religion: Allies of the president are leveling attacks on religious groups, including Catholics and Lutherans, and questioning their efforts to help migrants. - "The White House denied that the administration was going after faith groups, noting that on Thursday, Trump announced the creation of a 'faith office' and a new Justice Department task force to investigate what he called 'anti-Christian' bias. According to FBI statistics of religion-related hate crimes in 2023, 8 percent were against Christians, 60 percent were against Jews and 13 percent were against Muslims."

Defying court orders? Trump, Musk, Vance appear to lay the groundwork.: Vice President JD Vance has been floating such a possibility for years.

Reading archive 2025-01-29 pt 2

Smithsonian to close diversity office after Trump order: The Smithsonian Institution is closing its Office of Diversity, freezing federal hiring and ordering employees back to in-office work, according to an email sent by Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III.

YouTube’s top cheater hunter decodes Elon Musk’s gaming farce: Karl Jobst, a notorious debunker of video game cheating, says Musk’s story hasn’t been told quite right — and dives into the psychology of gamer boasting.

Man arrested outside U.S. Capitol with 2 molotov cocktails, police say: Ryan English, 24, told police he came to Washington to kill government officials but decided to surrender instead, according to a court affidavit.

Say yes to more housing in Virginia (and everywhere else): States are smart to remove obstacles to homebuilding.

Dread and hope in ‘Katyzuela’: ‘It’s all in the hands of God and Donald Trump’: Trump could revoke temporary protection for 600,000 Venezuelans who fled their home country.

The flossing techniques and tips your dentist might not have told you: The technique, timing and frequency of flossing may play a role in helping to maintain good oral health, some experts said.

Inside Mark Zuckerberg’s Trump pivot: In Trump’s first term, Meta quietly introduced a slew of Republican-friendly changes behind the scenes. But led by Republican policy executive Joel Kaplan, the company is done playing both sides — and is going all-in on MAGA.

Trump says to ‘clean out’ Gaza, urges Arab countries to take more refugees: President Donald Trump said he wanted Jordan and Egypt to take in more Palestinians from Gaza so they could “maybe live in peace” there.

Sweden seizes vessel after new cable breach in Baltic Sea: Sweden is investigating damage to a data cable linked to Latvia, the latest breach in the Baltic Sea region where European authorities are on high alert.

Reading archive 2024-07-29

The picture of early-human origins in Africa grows more complex: Researchers say multiple groups of early modern humans intermingled and spread across Africa, not just in small areas in the east and south, before moving to Europe and Asia. 

With Vance’s rocky debut, Republicans ask if Trump’s VP bet will pay off: Sen. JD Vance has had a challenging start as the GOP’s vice-presidential nominee, leaving the Trump campaign to try to clean up his controversial past comments.

How Kamala Harris took control of the Democratic Party: Party officials and campaign aides raced to flip an entire brand from fading hope to salute emojis.

Sanctions crushed Syria’s elite. So they built a zombie economy fueled by drugs.

How India’s warm embrace of Kamala Harris grew chilly: India was excited about Kamala Harris in 2020. Four years later, the reaction to her presidential bid is more complicated.

Maduro declared winner of disputed Venezuelan election: The opposition, which had warned of the potential for fraud, was expected to challenge the result.

How Elon Musk came to endorse Donald Trump: The world’s richest man favored Biden in 2020, but he has since become a vocal Trump supporter.

With Biden out and Harris in, down-ballot Democrats plot 2024 gains: “The additional enthusiasm that the Democrats have shown will obviously help down-ballot races,” GOP political consultant Whit Ayres said. “Whether that will be enough to overcome the other negatives and challenges remains to be seen.”

For Ukrainian diver, 10 meters from water, 1,500 miles from father at war: Oleksii Sereda, 18, is at his second Olympics, but the first since Russian invasion.

They have jobs, but no homes. Inside America’s unseen homelessness crisis.: Homelessness, already at a record high last year, appears to be worsening among people with jobs. - "Many who spoke with The Washington Post said they’re trapped in an impossible position — making too much money to qualify for food stamps and other types of government assistance, but not enough to secure housing."

Inside the powerful Peter Thiel network that anointed JD Vance: A small influential network of right-wing techies orchestrated Vance’s rise in Silicon Valley — and then the GOP. Now the industry stands to gain if he wins the White House.

Justice Dept. settles with ex-FBI officials over leak of anti-Trump texts: Fired FBI agent Peter Strzok will receive $1.2 million, and former bureau lawyer Lisa Page will receive $800,000 to resolve their claims that the Trump administration’s Justice Department violated the Privacy Act.

He finally met his son — then killed the mom and grandmother, a jury found.: Prosecutors argued that Keanan Turner killed Ebony Wright and her mother after Wright filed for custody and child support to help care for their son.

For some District ANC commissioners, a difficult decision to run again: Data from the D.C. Board of Elections shows that as of Friday, 117 out of 345 commissioner seats did not have a single interested candidate.

Amtrak just took over Union Station. What does it mean for riders?: After years in court, Amtrak gained control of Union Station on Monday. Here’s how it’ll affect the station experience.

Far-right in uproar after Israel detains reservists over Gaza detainee abuse: Far-right demonstrators broke into Israel’s Sde Teiman base to protest the detentions of guards.

Paris Olympics organizers sorry for Last Supper at Opening Ceremonies: The tableau included a woman in the role of Jesus and drag queens and gay icons as disciples. It was crashed by a man in blue as Dionysus, the Greek god of revelry.

Biden endorses Supreme Court reforms, amendment to limit immunity: For Biden, who has long resisted calls for Supreme Court reform, the call marks a major shift in his posture toward one of the three branches of government.

Walking the Line: Chinese migration surge tests President Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping - "Republican lawmakers say the concerns are more than justified. They point to media reports of at least 100 incidents in recent years in which Chinese nationals were caught or suspected of trying to gain access or information about U.S. military installations.

...

"Likely part of Beijing’s concern, analysts and lawyers say, is the potential for politicized Chinese migrants to become part of dissident communities abroad. 

"'The [Chinese] police told my parents, tell your son not to speak any more or do any protests,' said Zhou Zheng, a recent migrant living in Los Angeles who joined groups that protested Xi’s November visit to San Francisco. He’d made the decision to walk the line after he was detained during protests in China.

"While the number of Chinese migrants is relatively tiny in terms of the country’s population, its impact is significant for a government that has sought to advertise its political system abroad. 

"'It’s never looks good when people are willing to trek through the Darien Gap to get out of your country,' said Meredith Oyen, associate professor at the University of Maryland Baltimore County, referring to the dangerous jungle crossing between Panama and Colombia."

How the "Working Class Republican" Scam Works: A brief description of how this is all gonna go.

How to Jujitsu the Culture Wars: It’s time to make Republicans regret that they ever posed as anti-elites.

Meet the queen of the ‘trad wives’ (and her eight children): Hannah Neeleman, known to her nine million followers as Ballerina Farm, milks cows, gives birth without pain relief and breastfeeds at beauty pageants. Is this an empowering new model of womanhood — or a hammer blow for feminism? - "That is the biggest paradox: in selling the life of a stay-at-home mother, Neeleman and the other trad wives have created high-earning jobs. They are being paid to act out a fantasy. 'So for me to have the label of a traditional woman,' she continues cautiously, 'I’m kinda like, I don’t know if I identify with that.'

...

"One day she mentioned to Daniel that she was getting the five-hour flight from Salt Lake City to New York, back to Juilliard. She didn’t realise his dad owned the airline. 'So Daniel was, like, 'I’m on that same flight!' ' she says. 'I remember checking in and them saying, 'You’re 5A and you’re 5B.' I just thought, no way, that’s crazy!' Daniel smiles: 'I made a call.' He had pulled strings at JetBlue. And so began their first date." [ed. note: this piece is vicious]

My day with the trad wife queen and what it taught me: An interview published last weekend with internet star Hannah Neeleman at her Utah home, Ballerina Farm, has sparked a global social media debate. Our writer, Megan Agnew, revisits her time with the mother of eight - "But it was also a life of contradictions. Children not allowed screens, but who are reality TV characters online for millions. A stay-at-home mother who has made a career out of being so. An analogue, old-fashioned farm, only working because it is underwritten by social media cash. A choice — modern in her ability to have one — to do something so very traditional.

..

"Women who work in a paid job feel terrified that by promoting the seeming peace and harmony of a traditional home life, Neeleman is threatening their ability to choose otherwise. They fear they are going to experience guilt or resistance if other women do choose otherwise. 

"Women who look after their children full-time feel judged or patronised for doing so by the women who haven’t, their choices seeming threatened, too. And so, out of fear comes anger, like a bloke punching a wall when his wife leaves him."

I lived as a trad wife for a week. It was awful: Modern women are falling for traditional wife influencers. There’s a darker side, says Harriet Walker

Reading archive 2024-07-26

Three shot, one fatally, in Shaw neighborhood of Northwest Washington: Police said they are investigating whether the shooting is related to another one a half-hour earlier in Southeast.

His fixer-upper wasn’t perfect. Now the city wants to auction it off.: As building inspectors move on blighted and vacant properties, a retired mechanic working on his old house got caught in the sweep.

Trump’s second-term agenda plans a purge of the federal workforce: Trump’s platform calls for firing “rogue bureaucrats.” He and a think tank want to limit civil service protections, allowing in more political appointees.

Top Sinaloa cartel leader taken into U.S. custody alongside son of ‘El Chapo’: Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada was fooled into boarding a U.S.-bound private plane with Joaquin Guzmán, El Chapo’s son, who was also detained, a DHS official said.

Mexico wasn’t told of cartel arrests until kingpins were in U.S. custody: The capture of Sinaloa cartel leaders Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada and Joaquín Guzmán López were a historic coup for U.S. agents against a syndicate that’s flooded the United States with fentanyl.

Russia wary of U.S. and France election surprises, especially Kamala Harris: Harris, largely unknown to the Russians, is viewed with alarm.

Massive Park Fire continues spread after start from flaming car, officials say: A man was arrested in connection with California’s largest fire this year after a woman said she saw him push a burning car down a ravine.

What we know about Ronnie Stout, suspect in California’s Park Fire: Butte County authorities say a witness saw Stout push a burning car down a ravine prior to the ignition of what is now California’s biggest fire of the year.

Trump White House was warned sanctions on Venezuela could fuel migration: The internal debate over the policy underscores how U.S. financial measures can sometimes lead to unintended consequences.

Barack and Michelle Obama endorse Kamala Harris for president: The Obamas are the final key leaders in the Democratic Party to unite behind Harris after President Biden ended his bid for a second term.

Harris embarks on sprint to find Democratic running mate: The likely presidential nominee is mulling roughly a dozen potential vice-presidential candidates and plans to make a decision by Aug. 7.

Why no one’s building middle-income housing in American cities - "When residents oppose new construction in their neighborhoods to fight 'luxury housing,' they are fostering the environment in which those very high-rent projects thrive."

Reading archive 2024-07-22

Kamala Harris’s first presidential campaign was a failure. Has she changed?: The vice president has learned to communicate better and is facing a much different political landscape, which plays to her strengths, supporters argue.

After Biden’s exit, Zoom led by Black women mobilized 44,000 for Harris: The call, which also raised more than $1.5 million, left women feeling energized and galvanized to support the Vice President’s bid for president.

DNC delegates face unprecedented role of choosing nominee after Biden’s exit: More than 14 million Democratic primary voters cast ballots supporting Biden as the nominee. Now a few thousand of his delegates will pick his replacement, prompting questions about the democratic process.

Trump’s age and health under renewed scrutiny after Biden’s exit: As president, Donald Trump released a report that experts said showed he had heart disease and was obese. But as a candidate, he has refused to release bloodwork results, his weight or other key information.

RFK Jr. sought job in a Trump White House as he weighed endorsing Trump: The independent candidate suggested being given a senior job overseeing a portfolio of health and medical issues, an idea that the Trump campaign rejected. - "Trump and Kennedy’s private effort to cut a deal with each other contrasts with Kennedy’s public opposition to a second term for Trump or President Biden, who on Sunday bowed out of the presidential race and endorsed Vice President Harris."

Opinion Biden flips the script — and Republicans forget their lines: It’s a disoriented GOP that must ask: What now?

What coconut trees and Charli XCX’s ‘Brat’ have to do with Kamala Harris: A Vice President Harris line – “You think you just fell out of a coconut tree?” – is all over social media paired with a Charli XCX “Brat” song this summer.

GOP eyes legal challenges as Harris assumes control of Biden’s war chest: The issue, involving tens of millions of dollars, could get tied up in the Federal Election Commission and then in court.

Most birds avoid hurricanes. This species chases them, scientists say.: A study found that Desertas petrels, rare seabirds that live on a Portuguese island, follow hurricanes for days to search for prey in the Atlantic Ocean.

Venezuela’s presidential election: How to run against an autocrat: Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, trailing challenger Edmundo González in polls, has stepped up repression ahead of what he pledged would be a free and fair election.

Opinion  Hey, corporate greed is gone! Just look at the price of a Big Mac.: Consumer spending data provides an economics lesson, with a side of fries.

Opinion  Are Democrats really going to do this?: Democrats’ rush to Kamala Harris bypasses the question of who has the best chance of beating Trump. [ed. note: Trump apologist]

‘Call Me Baseball’: Carly Rae Jepsen threw postgame party at Nationals Park: Thousands of the pop star’s fans took in a baseball game Friday, blending with a typical Nats crowd for a buoyant summer night at the ballpark.

Melting on Minnesota Avenue: A relentless struggle against record heat: D.C. first responders know well this stretch of Minnesota Avenue between the Deanwood and Anacostia neighborhoods.

A Chinese actor was enslaved in a compound running online scams: The United Nations estimated in a report last August that more than 200,000 people are being forced to work as scammers in Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos.

Netanyahu goes to Washington in the shadow of Middle East disaster: The Israeli prime minister is poised to address Congress with months of trauma and ruin looming behind him, and a murky political future ahead of him.

How can I get healthier hair? Here’s what the science says.: Washing less frequently and using “sulfate-free” products can help protect your scalp microbiome.

Biden dropped out. This is how it happened.: The president had all but made up his mind Saturday night to bow out of the race and endorse Kamala Harris as his successor.

She called 911. The deputy who responded is charged with murdering her.: Prosecutors say an ex-sheriff’s deputy in Illinois, Sean Grayson, shot Sonya Massey, an unarmed Black woman, in the face in her kitchen and failed to render aid.

Reading archive 2024-04-22

Nine practices from Native American culture that could help the environment

Rooftop solar panels are flooding California’s grid. That’s a problem.: As electricity prices go negative, the Golden State is struggling to offload a glut of solar power

Smithsonian staff fear drag clampdown after GOP questioning, emails show: Secretary Lonnie Bunch says ‘LGBTQ+ content is welcome at the Smithsonian’ after comments at hearing, and canceled drag events draw concern - "'I think it’s not appropriate to expose children to drag shows,' Bunch said. 'I’m surprised and I will look into that.'"

Biden’s polls improve as Kennedy and third-party factor shifts: Two new high-quality polls show Robert F. Kennedy Jr. taking more support from Donald Trump than President Biden

Dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters arrested at Yale

They fled Venezuela — and transformed D.C.’s food delivery scene

House Republican infighting getting worse after foreign aid vote: One GOP lawmaker said he serves with “some real scumbags,” while others fought over Speaker Mike Johnson’s strategy for bringing up the aid package

Opinion  Don’t waste your time recycling plastic

Reading archive 2023-09-28

U.S. government tells federal employees a shutdown may be imminent: The official warnings reflect Congress’s failure to extend funding past Saturday

D.C. panel endorses Bowser’s guidelines for high-rises in historic districts

D.C. delays issuing $200 tickets to drivers blocking bus lanes: Without explanation, city officials say only warnings will be issued until further notice

Opinion  Single moms know marriage would be ideal, but how do they get one? - "Marriage should be recognized as 'the most reliable institution for delivering a high level of resources and long-term stability to children,' Kearney declares. And experts should admit that not saying so is counterproductive."

Troops stormed a prison. They found inmates had built a luxury resort.

Origins of Parkinson’s may lie in the gut. Researchers hope to prove it.: If the hypothesis that misfolded proteins start in the gut and travel to the brain is proved, it could lead to early detection and treatment of Parkinson’s

Inside the tactics that won Christian vendors the right to reject gay weddings: Opponents accuse conservative legal group behind landmark Supreme Court case of manufacturing lawsuits to advance its agenda

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 2020-05-07

Three Russian doctors have fallen from hospital windows in two weeks, amid reports of dire conditions

An Egyptian television drama depicts Israel’s destruction. Israel isn’t happy.

From a Miami condo to the Venezuelan coast, how a plan to ‘capture’ Maduro went rogue

Justice Dept. moves to drop case against Michael Flynn, former Trump adviser who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI

Understanding the twists and turns in the Michael Flynn case