Reading archive 2026-01-21 pt 1

Trump’s Golden Age of Culture Seems Pretty Sad So Far: The president’s party has total control of government—but not what Americans care about.

The Levers Trump Isn’t Using: He is dominating a lot of news cycles but failing to advance lasting policy change. - "Perhaps Trump's most lasting influence will be opening the door for future presidents to approach the executive as he has, pursuing governing strategies rooted in capricious personalism. Still, for all the action of the past year, Trump has not been acting like a president. That has not only undermined the character of our constitutional system; it has also meant that he is getting less done than all the sound and fury might suggest."

America’s Would-Be Surgeon General Says to Trust Your ‘Heart Intelligence’: Casey Means thinks improving health is a spiritual project.

Trump Exhaustion Syndrome Americans can’t seem to keep up. - "At least for now, a year into Trump's second term, the country seems to have settled for the illusory safety of the fetal crouch."

Trump’s Letter to Norway Should Be the Last Straw: Will Republicans in Congress ever step in?

The Military Is Being Forced to Plan for an Unthinkable Betrayal: Attacking an ally would be a perversion of everything the armed forces have been trained to do.

‘Looksmaxxing’ Reveals the Depth of the Crisis Facing Young Men: The most narcissistic corner of the internet is having a moment.

Something Is Wrong With Russia’s Children: As violence has come to surround Russian youth, many seem to have become more violent themselves. - "For years, children in Russia have watched their country massacre Ukrainians and condemn hundreds of thousands of its own citizens to injury and death at the front. As violence has come to surround Russian youth, many seem to have become more violent themselves. Last year, the number of juvenile crimes in the country surged by 18 percent. Authorities also reported an uptick in 'serious and especially serious' crime. 'There is no positive ideology for children in a country fighting a murderous war,' Ilya Barabanov, a Russian journalist, told me. Instead, the war has amplified worldviews that encourage brutality."

Europe Has a Bazooka. Time to Use It. - "This is exactly the kind of situation that the instrument was designed for. Europe, however, seems too timid to use it. Mr. Bessent has scoffed that Europe’s most forceful weapon is the 'dreaded European working group,' suggesting it will never get around to using the instrument. Europe seems in no hurry to prove him wrong."

Trump takes aim at Canada after Carney’s Davos speech: Mark Carney said middle powers such as Canada could build a new order in an era of unfettered great powers, without directly mentioning Trump or the U.S.

At Davos, a European backlash to Trump: The surreal clamor over Greenland provoked by Trump has shadowed proceedings in Davos, heightening fears of an emerging rupture between the U.S. and Europe. - "A few years ago, Europeans in Davos would muse about “decoupling” from China. Now, von der Leyen spoke of 'de-risking' in an environment made volatile by the continent’s most important ally and partner. Trump’s Greenland gambit, analysts say, threatens the integrity of the NATO alliance and many of the underpinnings of the transatlantic relationship. E.U. leaders are expected to meet this week to mull consider a response, including invoking an 'anti-coercion' mechanism that could lead to sweeping reprisals against the U.S. and U.S. companies. Even European far-right leaders in countries like France and Germany — figures who have found plenty of common ground with Trump and the MAGA movement — have denounced the White House’s Greenland rhetoric."

ICE targeted off-duty police officers in Twin Cities, local police say: The police chief of one Minneapolis suburb said all of the officers who had been stopped there by Immigration and Customs Enforcement were people of color.

Trump administration admits DOGE accessed personal Social Security data: A DOGE employee signed an agreement to share Social Security data with the aim of overturning election results in certain states, according to a new court filing.

Lindsey Halligan out as U.S. attorney following pressure from judges: One federal judge in Virginia sought applications for her replacement. Another called her use of the U.S. attorney title a “charade.”

Message to Trump and the GOP: Pro-life voters are watching: A “flexible” approach to reducing abortion will have a cost in the midterms.

Trump team touts a coming economic revolution as voters fear job losses: President Donald Trump wants America to lead on artificial intelligence at almost any cost, but he must contend with a skeptical public.

Federal officials launch ICE operation in Maine and begin arrests: “Everyone is on high alert,” Portland Mayor Mark Dion said. His city and nearby Lewiston have seen an influx of migrants and asylum seekers in recent years.

Pentagon moves to cut U.S. participation in some NATO groups: The planned reductions to parts of the alliance’s force structure and some advisory groups mark the Trump administration’s latest move to scale back military investment in Europe’s defense.

Reading archive 2024-12-28

‘Baby in a dumpster.’ A spate of abandoned newborns unsettles Texas.: Critics say these cases are no coincidence in a state with one of the nation’s most restrictive abortion bans and near-bottom rankings on women’s health care.

Putin apologizes for airline crash, does not take responsibility: Putin apologized for the “tragic incident” in Russian airspace, but the Kremlin did not take responsibility for downing the Azerbaijan Airlines flight.

China unveils new futuristic fighter jets in surprise flyby: Viral images on Chinese social media show the sophisticated jets flying at low altitude. Analysts say it could mark a breakthrough in Beijing’s military modernization.

Federal government nears debt-ceiling limit, Yellen warns: The Treasury Department on Friday said the government is beginning to run out of money to finance its debt obligations.

Putin rejects peace plan proposal being crafted by Trump team – ISW

Reading archive 2024-11-18

Trump allies eye overhauling Medicaid, food stamps in tax legislation: Republican leaders, looking for ways to offset the cost of lower taxes, are considering changes to safety net programs for the poor.

Inside the Republican false-flag effort to turn off Kamala Harris voters: A multipronged dark money effort by advisers to Elon Musk targeted liberals, Jews, Muslims and Black voters with ads that were not quite what they seemed. - "Muslims in Michigan began seeing pro-Israel ads this fall praising Vice President Kamala Harris for marrying a Jewish man and backing the Jewish state. Jews in Pennsylvania, meanwhile, saw ads from the same group with the opposite message: Harris wanted to stop U.S. arms shipments to Israel.

"Another group promoted “Kamala’s bold progressive agenda” to conservative-leaning Donald Trump voters, while a third filled the phones of young liberals with videos about how Harris had abandoned the progressive dream. Black voters in North Carolina were told Democrats wanted to take away their menthol cigarettes, while working-class White men in the Midwest were warned that Harris would support quotas for minorities and deny them Zyn nicotine pouches. 

"What voters had no way of knowing at the time was that all of the ads were part of a single, $45 million effort created by political advisers to Tesla founder Elon Musk who had previously worked on the presidential campaign of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), according to a presentation about the group’s efforts obtained by The Washington Post."

Why wildfires in the eastern U.S. can be more destructive than you may think: The East may not face the same threats of massive wildfires that have become an ominous hallmark of life in the West. But the risks are underestimated.

Trump Says He’ll Move Thousands of Federal Workers Out of Washington. Here’s What Happened the First Time He Tried.: The Bureau of Land Management’s headquarters moved from the capital to Colorado in 2020, causing an exodus of leadership. If elected, Trump plans to use the same tactic across more of the federal government.

A Pregnant Teenager Died After Trying to Get Care in Three Visits to Texas Emergency Rooms: It took three ER visits and 20 hours before a hospital admitted Nevaeh Crain, 18, as her condition worsened. Doctors insisted on two ultrasounds to confirm “fetal demise.” She’s one of at least two Texas women who died under the state’s abortion ban. - "Fails and Crain believed abortion was morally wrong. The teen could only support it in the context of rape or life-threatening illness, she used to tell her mother. They didn’t care whether the government banned it, just how their Christian faith guided their own actions.

...

"But when her daughter got sick, Fails expected that doctors had an obligation to do everything in their power to stave off a potentially deadly emergency, even if that meant losing Lillian. In her view, they were more concerned with checking the fetal heartbeat than attending to Crain." [ed. note: lol go septic and die, bitch]

https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2023/02/26/us/undocumented-border-officer-cec [ed. note: from 2023]

Hours after Trump win, Biden moves to limit oil drilling in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: An oil-and-gas auction is slated for the refuge’s coastal plain, which provides critical habitat for caribou, polar bears and other wildlife.

Canada sees opportunity in these mines. Alaskans see a threat.: Indigenous people, environmentalists and lawmakers of both parties fear more mining in British Columbia’s Golden Triangle could pollute Alaska’s waterways. - "In the 1950s, British Columbia’s Tulsequah Chief Mine began polluting a tributary to the salmon-rich Taku River in Alaska’s southeast with sulfuric acid and heavy metals. Decades later, the mine is still leaking; the pace of the cleanup, glacial."

Biden races to Trump-proof his climate legacy: Several agencies are working to finalize environmental rules and policies before Donald Trump’s inauguration.

With Trump win, Israeli minister calls to annex parts of West Bank: Comments Monday by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich were the strongest display yet of how Trump’s election has emboldened Israeli hard-liners. - "Giving military control to a handpicked civilian has been viewed as another step toward Smotrich’s long-running aspiration, outlined in a 2017 treatise, to achieve 'victory by settlement' and extend Israeli law over the territory — an effort analysts say would effectively convert occupation into annexation."

Musk appears to pressure Trump on Cabinet and tariffs, irking advisers: Elon Musk, the billionaire who has become Donald Trump’s “first buddy,” appeared to publicly pressure the president-elect on economic policy and a key Cabinet pick.

Trump promised mass deportations. Mexico isn’t ready.: Half of undocumented immigrants in the United States are Mexican. Here’s how Trump’s plan would harm both countries. - "Mexican officials argue they have a strong hand in dealing with Trump on immigration. Under pressure from the Biden administration, Mexico launched its own crackdown on migrants this past year. That played a key role in driving down U.S. border detentions by 78 percent since December. Now they’re even lower than they were when Trump finished his first term."

Go bags, passports, foreign assets: Preparing to be a target of Trump’s revenge: Some prominent critics of Donald Trump, and those he has vilified as “deep state” saboteurs, are taking seriously his vow of retribution.

Reading archive 2024-10-30

The Worst of Crypto Is Yet to Come: No matter who wins in November, the digital-asset market could be on the brink of a deregulation-fueled bonanza. - "Dennis Kelleher, the CEO of the nonprofit Better Markets, told me the real reason the crypto industry doesn’t want tokens to be classified as securities is that disclosure rules would expose them as financially dangerous. 'If you had to fully and truthfully disclose the risks associated with crypto, the people who would engage in crypto would be near none,' he said."

North Korea’s elite troops are in Russia to fight Ukraine: What we know: The North Korean Special Forces sent to Russia are the state’s best trained troops but they will face challenges with modern warfare technology, experts say.

Stung by the backlash, Ted Leonsis is trying to win back: Washington The Monumental Sports & Entertainment CEO says he wants to unite the region, but a failed arena deal in Virginia turned him into a polarizing figure.

She said she had a miscarriage — then got arrested under an abortion law

Who is the mystery poop and tiki torch artist?: The Washington Post set out to find out who was behind two new eye-catching art installations in the city. We couldn’t quite do it.

Against mayor’s wishes, D.C. will use bus sales to help Circulator workers: The mayor chose to end Circulator service this year, saying the city could no longer afford the red buses.

D.C. Council restricts amplified noise, projectiles at residential protests: An emergency measure to temper First Amendment activity in residential neighborhoods was by turns lauded and derided by District residents, as the D.C. Council voted 9-2 to pass the bill.

What Trump could do to Metro if he wins a second term: While in office, Trump repeatedly tried to slash infrastructure budgets and pull back funding for public transit.

Opinion So, what did you think of Harris’s October surprise? Across the country, the vice president’s field operation dwarfs Trump’s. - "Democrat Josh Stein will almost certainly win the governor’s race, and Democrats will likely take a couple more statewide races. But the congressional delegation 'will either be 71 percent Republican or 79 percent, in a state Kamala Harris may very well win,' Nickel said."

Opinion Donald Trump wants you to be afraid of me: His anti-trans TV ads are a cunning, cynical program to encourage us to fear what we do not understand.

Companies ready price hikes to offset Trump’s global tariff plans: Executives say Americans, not foreign countries, will pay the tariffs. - "In fact, American importers pay all tariffs to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency at the time their products enter the country."

Mike Johnson vows major changes to Affordable Care Act if Trump wins election: The House speaker said Republicans would seek to overhaul the law, which provides health coverage to tens of millions and has been a frequent target of GOP repeal efforts.

For Jeff Bezos and his businesses, Washington has become more important: Executives at companies founded by the billionaire Post owner have sought contact with Trump. He argues he didn’t end presidential endorsements out of self-interest.

They thought they found their dream home — so did thousands of bats: For a millennial couple buying their first home, on an island in the Puget Sound, the cost of humanely resolving the bat problem was more than they expected.

Musk’s plan to cut $2 trillion in U.S. spending could bring economic turmoil: Deep budget cuts would be required to meet the billionaire Trump supporter’s goal. He appeared to acknowledge some risks on Tuesday.

China cracks down on Halloween, wary of subversion lurking in costumes: Halloween is new to China, but many young professionals embrace costumes as a way to express themselves – and sometimes to send subtle political messages.

These women are all in for abortion rights — and for Donald Trump: Harris is making abortion part of her closing argument. But some voters say they aren’t worried about what a Trump presidency would mean for abortion. - "Republican and independent voters who plan to split their ticket on abortion — voting for an abortion referendum and for Trump — said they were willing to give Trump the benefit of the doubt on the issue, with some feeling reassured by his recent promises not to crack down further on abortion. Despite Trump’s decision to appoint the three conservative Supreme Court justices who helped revoke the constitutional right to abortion, a few voters said they believed Trump was secretly 'pro-choice.'" [ed. note: everyone is about to get everything they deserve]

LGBTQ activists canvassed in a red state. The conversations surprised them.: The group spread out across Missouri in the final days before the election. Residents had viewpoints that did not fit in neat partisan boxes.

Reading archive 2024-10-01

Opinion  How ‘obesity first’ health care is transforming medicine: Doctors are increasingly addressing obesity as the root cause of other illnesses.

As a Finnish Zoo Returns Pandas to China, It Blames Costs, Not Geopolitics: Two pandas are heading back to China eight years early amid lower-than-hoped-for visitor numbers at a zoo in rural Finland, and after the pair didn't produce a cub.

Can You Get Rid of Your Front Lawn Without Offending the Neighbors?: It isn't easy or fast, but it can be done. Here's what worked for one couple.

Our Better Nature: Put the Brakes on Honey Bees – Our Future Depends on It: Honey bees are causing grave – and in some cases irreversible – harm to the environment.

Native Landscapes Can Be Hard to Plant. But Help Is Here.: The nonprofit group Wild Ones offers a free library of designs, with plants specific to your area — and you don’t have to be a member to use it.

Don’t believe the hype: AGI is far from inevitable - "If a company pops up claiming to have a machine that, when you press a button, it creates world peace, then you’d distrust it too. So why are we so quick to believe the promises of big tech who are driven by profit?"

Retired professor, accused of bilking wealthy friends, pleads guilty in NY: Lawrence Gray, who was accused of stealing valuable jewelry, pleaded guilty to fraud.

Before the floods, Asheville was called a ‘climate haven.’ Is anywhere safe?: As climate change leads to more severe hurricanes, mountain communities like Asheville, N.C., face growing flood danger.

Opinion The real reason 47,000 dockworkers are on strike: For American workers, this is one of the first great battles against advanced automation.

Port strike freezes shipping on East Coast, threatening shortages: Longshoremen’s union walkout follows last-minute efforts by the White House to avert a strike.

Tim Walz speaks loudly and carries a big schtick: But the vice-presidential pick best known for calling Donald Trump and JD Vance “weird” is a surprisingly risk-averse campaigner.

What to know about VP debate moderators Norah O’Donnell and Margaret Brennan: O’Donnell anchors CBS News’s evening newscast, while Brennan anchors Sunday morning’s “Face the Nation.”

Polls show big increase in Republicans planning to vote for abortion rights: In some states, that GOP number could even approach a majority.

This firefly delighted beachgoers. Now it’s flickering out of existence.: The U.S. government is proposing to declare the Bethany Beach firefly as threatened, the first time officials have sought to add a firefly to the Endangered Species Act list.

24 hours of MAGA misinformation: A small sampling of the inundation of false and dubious claims flowing from Donald Trump and his allies.

The 5 hurricane categories, explained

Basement-free buildings are better for the future climate: Politicians mull bans due to flooding, but costs and carbon emissions also a concern

California’s first plastic bag ban made things worse. Now it’s trying again

Reading archive 2024-09-04

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2024/09/03/forest-park-chicago-blue-line-train-shooting/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/09/03/us-marines-attacked-turkey/

Opinion See my video of a Kharkiv cemetery. Now tell me Ukraine shouldn’t strike back.: Washington feared Putin would escalate. Now that he’s done so, it’s time to respond.

A louder voice in fighting abortion bans: Men in red states: More men are speaking out in defense of reproductive rights because of harrowing experiences that wives or partners have suffered when a pregnancy went awry. - "'The silver lining of Dobbs is that it forced people to talk about what was stigmatized and shrouded in mystery — miscarriage, fetal anomalies, stillbirth,' she said. They’re now realizing the range of scenarios that can be directly impacted by state bans 'and the end of this illusion that you can separate elective abortion from emergency abortions.'"

Republican Liz Cheney says she will vote for Kamala Harris this election: “Because of the danger that Donald Trump poses, not only am I not voting for Donald Trump but I will be voting for Kamala Harris,” Cheney said Wednesday at Duke University.

House Democrats ask Trump if he illegally accepted $10 million from Egypt: A recent Washington Post article detailed a now-closed Justice Department investigation spurred by intelligence from 2016 indicating that the Egyptian president sought to give Donald Trump money.

This bird came back from extinction - now scientists in an aircraft are teaching it to migrate: Extinct in central Europe for 300 years, 36 northern bald ibis are following an ultralight aircraft on their long-forgotten migration route from Austria to Spain

The GOP has transitioned from climate denial to climate misrepresentation, experts say: Why denying the science of climate change is no longer politically tenable.

How ancient healing hot springs could fuel a clean energy future: One hot spring town shows how Japan could turn its underground cauldron of heat into clean energy — without risking its centuries-old tradition of public baths.

What to do with your old jacket rather than throwing it out: Repair services and programs that allow you to fix or trade in your old gear can extend the life span of your products and keep them out of landfills.

Behind the campaign to make Metro cool again: Pandas on a train? Men in finance? A more confident Metro is having some fun.

When 5 teen girls allegedly beat her son to death, she kept his casket open: As the trial in the 2023 beating death of Reginald “Reggie” Brown begins, his 90-year-old mother, Annie Mae Brown Mouton, seeks “justice.”

Tees up, trees down: NPS’s plan for Rock Creek Park Golf Course needs a rethink

How China extended its repression into an American city

An au pair, a husband’s affair and a double homicide: A Fairfax County jury will decide whether Juliana Peres Magalhães is guilty of second-degree murder in a double homicide in the main bedroom of her adopted home.

Trump appears to have misled Gold Star families on troop deaths in Afghanistan: Trump frequently suggests, as he did in a TikTok filmed at Arlington Cemetery, that an 18-month period without hostile-fire deaths took place entirely in his presidency. - "At a political rally on June 26 that year, weeks before the collapse of the Afghan government, Trump bragged that he had made it difficult for Biden to change course. 'I started the process. All the troops are coming back home. They couldn’t stop the process,' he said. 'Twenty-one years is enough, don’t we think? Twenty-one years. They [the Biden administration] couldn’t stop the process. They wanted to, but it was very tough to stop the process.'"

John McCain’s son says he will support Kamala Harris in November: Jimmy McCain said he changed his voter registration from independent to Democrat and expressed outrage over an altercation at Arlington Cemetery involving Trump campaign staff.

Opinion One urgent reason the justices need a credible ethics code? Ginni Thomas.: And you thought she couldn’t do any more to cast disrepute on the Supreme Court. - "And Thomas’s email was not just some generic note of appreciation. It was to praise First Liberty for its fierce, and deep-pocketed, fight against … wait for it … proposals to reform the Supreme Court and strengthen ethics enforcement against the justices."

Jury convicts last people charged in the fatal shooting of Makiyah Wilson: Ten-year-old Makiyah Wilson was killed and four others were injured in the July 16, 2018, shooting in Northeast Washington.

Police ID man they allege tossed gun that went off, killing a D.C. officer: Police said they are seeking Tyrell Lamonte Bailey, 27, on a charge of unlawful possession of a firearm.

Murderer whose life sentence was commuted by Trump convicted of domestic violence: Davidson, who was convicted in the murder of a federal law enforcement officer in 1990, shared an attorney with Donald Trump Jr.

Opinion A new way to treat customers? Annoy them until they go away.: To keep loiterers away, stores bombard passersby with annoying messages and ‘anti-vagrancy music.’ They end up annoying everyone.

Reading archive 2024-08-30

Biking in the District is for normies—that’s a good thing

Covid associated with increased risk for hearing loss in young adults: The incidences of hearing loss and sudden deafness were higher for people who had covid than those who did not, a new study reports

D.C. officer used metal device to reach gun in drain when it discharged, officials say: Wayne David was fatally shot when a gun he was trying to retrieve “went off.” Officials say he was trying to reach it with a device used to unlock cars.

Trump, Vance take a new tone on abortion, riling some on the right: Recent comments from the Republican presidential ticket suggest the campaign is eyeing the importance of pro-abortion-rights voters in swing states.

Israel strikes aid convoy organized by U.S. nonprofit, killing 4 Palestinians: The Anera convoy was carrying medical supplies and fuel to a hospital in Rafah, and its route was coordinated in advance with the IDF.

Trump’s mixed record on vaccines in spotlight after RFK Jr. endorsement: Trump vows to defund schools with vaccine mandates. But, as president, he has also embraced vaccines, championing the development of the coronavirus vaccine. - "A Trump campaign official told The Washington Post that Trump is referring solely to coronavirus vaccine mandates in publicly funded schools — not vaccinations against other diseases on the childhood immunization schedule — in his threat to defund schools. But Trump has yet to publicly clarify what he means, and his campaign did not respond to questions about his position on childhood immunizations, whether he believes they contribute to autism and whether his views on vaccines align with Kennedy’s."

Selling America: The Army’s fight to find recruits in a mistrustful, divided nation: Recruiters are contending with a confounding array of political, social and economic crises that have made it harder than ever to find citizens willing to serve

Woman charged in Bay Bridge crash was on probation for drunken driving: The 48-year-old is a former Maryland state employee in the Department of Human Services, an official said.

D.C. reviewing violence-intervention contracts after Trayon White’s arrest: D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser’s administration and the D.C. Council are launching probes related to the case. - "The organizations have contracts with ONSE, while DYRS runs a similar youth-oriented program called Credible Messengers. (The D.C. Attorney General’s Office has its own violence-intervention program, Cure the Streets, that did not come up in White’s case.)" [ed. note: plus Zachary Parker's North Capital project, there's too many individual groups]

Reading archive 2024-08-13 pt 1

Opinion What deporting 15 million people would look like: Democrats need to warn Hispanics what a vote for Trump really means. - "Other Trump voters appear willing to disregard the human costs of an unforgiving immigration policy. 'Terrible for those who came after. Congratulations to me,' Santiago Ferran Barnet, a Cuban immigrant, told the Miami Herald during a Trump rally. Other Trump supporters share this moral meanness and lack of empathy. 'Putting them in a camp and deporting them? It sounds great to me,' said Anais Refujol, a Trump voter from California, when asked about detention centers for recent Venezuelan immigrants. Ironically, Refujol herself earned citizenship after arriving as a refugee in 2004 — from Venezuela."

The lice will always win: We’ve been losing the war against lice since the dawn of humanity. Should we change how we think about them?

Blue crab invasion upends Italy’s culinary traditions and ecology: The blue crabs crossed the Atlantic as stowaways, and with no natural predators they’re overtaking Italy’s marine ecosystem.

Russians evacuated from Kursk as Putin grapples with Ukrainian incursion: The acting governor of the Kursk region said the situation is “complicated,” with Ukraine’s forces now in control of more than two dozen Russian villages.

The one thing you should look for on clothing labels when you go shopping

Why does it feel like everyone has an autoimmune disease?: Autoimmune diseases are rising worldwide, and it’s not purely explained by genetics.

The skate park was thriving. Then a right-wing YouTuber bought it.: Tim Pool’s purchase of an improvised skate park has riled skateboarders in West Virginia’s eastern panhandle.

Gold bar scams net millions in Montgomery County: ‘Money to be had here.’: Local and federal law enforcement officials warn residents to be on guard.

A youth sports giant took over city land. Neighbors are fighting back.: Local advocates have called Surf Cup Sports’ 120-acre complex “an environmental travesty” and accuse the city of San Diego of looking the other way.

A trio of silly, false claims that JD Vance makes about Kamala Harris: No, she doesn’t want to ban red meat or gas stoves or believe that people shouldn’t have children because of climate change.

Ex-police chief who led raid on Kansas newspaper faces felony charge: Gideon Cody allegedly tampered with an investigation into a raid of the Marion County Record and its publisher’s home, worrying press freedom advocates.

Musk’s chat with Trump was a peek inside the right-wing bubble: For more than two hours, the ideological allies struggled to be the most prominent voice in their conversation.

Does Donald Trump understand how the ocean works?: Once again Monday night, he claimed that rising sea levels would create “more oceanfront property.”

Former Colorado official found guilty for role in election equipment tampering: Tina Peters, a former county clerk, was accused of helping copy election information after Trump lost the 2020 presidential election.

Why newsrooms haven’t published leaked Trump campaign documents: The Trump campaign said the documents from a mysterious source came from an Iranian hack. The FBI is now investigating. - "In 2016, Trump relished Russian hacks of Democratic campaign emails, once asking the country to find more of Hillary Clinton’s emails with the phrase, 'Russia, if you’re listening.' 

"But in the aftermath of its own possible hack, the Trump campaign told reporters that to publish the material would be assisting a foreign state actor in undermining democracy. 'Any media or news outlet reprinting documents or internal communications are doing the bidding of America’s enemies and doing exactly what they want,' Steven Cheung, a campaign spokesman, said in a statement."

Opinion Hot tip: Both parties should stop bribing voters with tax cuts: Exempting tips from taxes is a terrible idea, regardless of which party is proposing it.

How Kate Cox Became a Reluctant Face of the Abortion-Rights Movement - "Trisomy 18 is almost always a fatal condition. In rare cases, babies with milder forms of the disease can survive for years, even into adolescence. But Cox’s doctor told her that there were so many malformations to her daughter’s brain, spine, and neural tube that the baby would probably die in utero. If not, she would be placed directly into hospice care after being born, where doctors did not expect her to survive more than a few days. 'Every single case of Trisomy 18 I’ve seen has demised—if not in utero, then within hours to days after birth,' says Dr. Damla Karsan, Cox’s Ob-Gyn. 'Even if they do survive, the standard of care is comfort care, do not resuscitate.'

...

"'Kate was the first time since Roe was overturned that a woman who was currently pregnant, needing an abortion under the health exemption, went to a court to get a court order for an abortion,' Northup says. Her situation, Northup says, exposes how some medical exceptions to abortion bans are written in a way that makes them nearly impossible to apply. 'What Kate Cox’s case shows is that this argument of the states that they have exceptions to their blanket abortion bans for the health of the woman is false. They don’t have exceptions, and they won’t allow exceptions to be applied.'"

Reading archive 2024-07-10

Double-murder case dismissed after errors by judge, prosecutors: The order left relatives of the victims feeling they had been denied justice. Legal experts called the decision a teaching tool.

These GOP women begged the party to abandon abortion. Then came backlash.: The fight waged at the Texas Republican Convention highlights the deep divisions on abortion within the Republican Party.

Woman killed by falling tree limb in D.C. park, authorities say: Emergency personnel were called at about 7:30 a.m. to Garfield Park in Southeast, where they found a tree on top of the woman.

U.S. marshal shoots teen in carjacking attempt near Sotomayor home, police say: A deputy U.S. marshal wounded an 18-year-old who tried to carjack him near the home of Justice Sonia Sotomayor, according to authorities and court documents.

Fed up with tourists, Barcelona protesters blast them with water guns: Locals marched and delivered a manifesto on tourism’s cost-of-living impact, the latest backlash against a global travel surge since the end of pandemic limits.

Yellowstone gunman allegedly threatened mass shooting on July 4: Police killed a Florida man who was firing a semiautomatic rifle at a lodge with roughly 200 people inside.

Black man dies, crying for help, after hotel guards pin him down, video shows: Milwaukee police are investigating the killing of Dvontaye Mitchell, whose death has drawn comparisons to George Floyd’s.

Why a New Conservative Brain Trust Is Resettling Across America: Pro-Trump professionals aren’t just talking about remaking Western civilization. Some are uprooting their lives to show that they mean it.

Copenhagen’s new sustainability push? Free coffee for tourists.: An initiative from Copenhagen’s tourism office offers perks for visitors who pick up trash or take public transportation.

Russia orders arrest of Yulia Navalnaya, widow of Putin’s nemesis: Russia’s decision to issue an arrest warrant for Navalnaya on the same day India’s prime minister was visiting Moscow sent a loud message to Putin’s critics, including in Washington.

NATO leaders move to ‘Trump-proof’ the alliance in Washington: Fears that the former president could soon be back in the White House have NATO leaders looking to lock in support for Ukraine — and the alliance itself.

A nuclear accident made Three Mile Island infamous. AI’s needs may revive it.: Closed nuclear power plants are getting a second look amid a surge in demand for electricity from data centers and other customers. - "Some New York experts regret the closure of Indian Point near New York City in 2021 after years of pressure from environmentalists. The state was unable to secure enough clean energy to replace the power it produced, forcing New York to fall back on gas generation. Emissions surged, according to Environmental Protection Agency data."

A stinging portrait of just how badly the Kennedy men treated women: Maureen Callahan’s “Ask Not” delivers damning details about the exploits of three generations of the storied family.

GOP jump-starts 2024 election challenges with Trump-inspired lawsuits: Democrats view the lawsuits as legally frivolous but still damaging to public confidence and a potential precursor to efforts to overturn the vote

Opinion Rural America is vanishing. This tiny county is fighting back.: Tensions between development and rural character are playing out across the country. - "But Supervisor Gary Deal lectured constituents that they 'have to understand that we have to plan for the future.' That future, he said, involves millions of dollars in tax revenue from data centers. 'We have a low tax rate right now,' Deal acknowledged, but he thinks Culpeper can 'even do better.'" [ed. note: destroying the countryside in hopes of further lowering taxes, yikes]

Reading archive 2024-07-03 through 2024-07-05

D.C. Council Bills Seek to Address Chronic Absenteeism and Truancy: A bill from Mayor Bowser directs the attorney general to file criminal charges in cases where a student misses 25 days of school.

Vatican excommunicates Archbishop Viganò for refusing to recognize Pope Francis: In a rare trial, the Vatican acted against Carlo Maria Viganò, a former ambassador to the U.S. and one of Pope Francis’s most vociferous internal critics.

Opinion Who’s the least bad choice to be Trump’s VP?: Of three top contenders, J.D. Vance would be terrible, Marco Rubio and Doug Burgum possibly much better.

She took on a small Mississippi town’s police. Then they arrested her.: How civil rights lawyer Jill Collen Jefferson convinced the Justice Department to investigate allegedly racist and abusive policing in tiny Lexington, Miss.

A shift in how Democrats talk about Biden’s dropping out: It’s subtle, but it’s unmistakable. While the Biden campaign says this isn’t on the table, big-name Democrats suggest it should be.

Justice Dept. plans to pursue Trump cases past Election Day, even if he wins: If Donald Trump is elected president, the finish line for federal prosecutors is Inauguration Day, not Election Day, people familiar with the discussions said

Opinion Some fun ideas for Louisiana classroom walls: The Louisiana law mandating the commandments’ display fails to further historical education.

One year in, Threads hasn’t overtaken X. Meta still thinks it can.: The goal is to build “a less angry place for people to share their ideas,” Instagram chief Adam Mosseri says. Not everyone’s happy about that.

Doing Nothing About Biden Is the Riskiest Plan of All

This Isn’t All Joe Biden’s Fault - "But rather than act as a check on Biden’s decisions and ambitions, the party has become an enabler of them. An enforcer of them. It is giving the American people an option they do not want and then threatening them with the end of democracy if they do not take it." [ed. note: the party is right, but voters are morons]

Joe Biden should drop out: Denying Joe Biden's decline has put Democrats in a terrible position.

Trump advisers hope Biden stays in race, as they eye alternate scenarios: After dismissing suggestions the president could withdraw, the Trump campaign is beginning to consider having to tweak its message.

Democrats begin to consider Harris at the top of their ticket: Several party leaders suggest that if Biden steps aside, Harris would have to be his replacement.

Biden faces growing political crisis over response to debate performance: The president has told allies in recent days that he is in a tough moment and that he has to prove to voters that he is up for the job.

Biden’s aging is seen as accelerating; lapses described as more common Aides, foreign officials, members of Congress and donors say: President Biden has seemed slower and more often loses his train of thought in recent months, though close aides insist he remains mentally sharp.

Why More French Youth Are Voting for the Far Right: Most young people in France usually don’t vote or they back the left. That is still true, but support has surged for the far right, whose openly racist past can feel to them like ancient history.

The short answer on office shorts: No: Ask yourself these questions before you free your knees.

Why scientists think they may finally have found a way to recycle clothes: It’s almost impossible to turn old threads into new clothes, but scientists are working to change that.

Tempers flare as Trump reviews revised abortion plank for Republican platform: The former president wants the platform to endorse leaving the issue to the states rather than a federal ban in the wake of Roe v. Wade’s demise.

Business leaders, pro-Democracy activists send letter asking Biden to withdraw: The letter sent to the White House is the latest outreach from the donor and activist community pushing for a new nominee after the president’s debate performance.

Sen. Mark Warner works to gather Senate Democrats to ask Biden to exit race: There’s increasing sentiment among Democratic senators that President Biden cannot stay in the race.

Reading archive 2024-06-25

Israeli Supreme Court rules ultra-Orthodox must serve in the military: The decision could result in ultra-Orthodox lawmakers pulling out of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition and collapsing it.

‘Too many old people’: A rural Pa. town reckons with population loss: There is a deepening sense of fear as population loss accelerates in rural America. The decline of small-town life is expected to be a looming topic in the presidential election. - "As the presidential election approaches, many residents in this deeply Republican town say they view Trump as having a better vision for salvaging rural America, even though Biden has steered billions of dollars to initiatives that support rural America." [ed. note: then let it die, the morons]

More than 15 killed in Dagestan, Russia, as gunmen hit multiple sites: The dead included a 66-year-old Orthodox priest and over 15 police officers in what appeared to be a coordinated attack at a synagogue, church and police post.

He wanted to throw an Idaho town’s first Pride. Angry residents had other ideas.: Tom Wheeler envisioned a celebratory first Pride for rural Canyon County, Idaho. But in a state that has led the nation in passing anti-LGBTQ laws, the festival quickly sparked outcry.

Opinion New weapons will eclipse atomic bombs. Their builders ask themselves this question.: Autonomous weapons will be built. The only questions are who will build them and for what purpose. - "The engineering elite of our country rush to raise capital for video-sharing apps and social media platforms, advertising algorithms and shopping websites. They don’t hesitate to track and monetize people’s every movement online, burrowing their way into our lives. But many balk when it comes to working with the military. The rush is simply to build. Too few ask what ought to be built and why.

...

"For its part, the foreign policy establishment has repeatedly miscalculated when dealing with China, Russia and others, believing that economic integration can be sufficient to undercut their leaders’ domestic support and diminish their interest in military escalation abroad. The failure of the Davos consensus was to abandon the stick in favor of the carrot alone. Meanwhile, Xi Jinping of China and other authoritarian leaders have wielded power in a way that political leaders in the West might never understand.

...

"Our broader reluctance to proceed with the development of effective autonomous weapons systems for military use might stem from a justified skepticism of power itself. Pacifism satisfies our instinctive empathy for the powerless. It also relieves us of the need to navigate among the difficult trade-offs that the world presents. 

"Chloé Morin, a French author and former adviser to the country’s prime minister, suggested in a recent interview that we should resist the facile urge 'to divide the world into dominants and dominated, oppressors and oppressed.' It would be a mistake, and indeed a form of moral condescension, to systematically equate powerlessness with piousness. The subjugated and subjugators are equally capable of grievous sin."

We’ve been accidentally cooling the planet — and it’s about to stop: Humans’ fossil fuel burning has cooled the planet while warming it — presenting problems for the future.

Burn-off of toxics in Ohio derailment was unnecessary, NTSB investigators say: Federal agency releases final report on fiery train wreck that alarmed East Palestine and launched a national debate on rail safety.

There are better ways to protest climate change than spray painting: Stonehenge Just Stop Oil activists could take a page from the civil rights movement, experts say.

Infant death rate spiked in Texas after restrictive abortion law, study finds: The study led by Johns Hopkins University researchers after the restrictive Texas abortion law also found an increase in the rate of deaths from birth defects.

Opinion I’ve never seen Israelis as gloomy as they are today: The trauma of Oct. 7 remains, along with new worries, including the looming threat of war with Hezbollah.

Opinion The stage is being set for an American nuclear power revolution: There’s no telling how much clean energy the United States might produce.

How Biden’s promise to coal country became a warning for Democrats: A fading coal town in Pennsylvania is struggling to replace the jobs and money that the fossil fuel industry once offered.

The pope’s right-hand man is reshaping the church, becoming a target: Most Catholics have little sense of the liberal archbishop behind the Vatican’s pronouncements. But critics of the pope see Víctor Manuel Fernández as Enemy No. 2.

Reading archive 2024-06-24

The mysterious tyranny of trendy baby names

Opinion I went to trade school during law school. It left me stunned.: I believe in the untapped potential of skilled trades.

Opinion A closer look at Harris shows how effective she’s become: As the election nears, the vice president is connecting policy to lived experience.

Opinion Trump’s school vaccination policies could be a serious political liability: Democrats would be wise to blast the former president for it.

Opinion Don’t waste the Biden-Trump debate. Make them answer this question.: It’s not the elephant in the room. It’s the herd of elephants plus a barnful of braying donkeys. [ed. note: the debt]

Opinion MAGA justices already gave Trump de facto immunity — and disgraced the court: All Trump ever wanted was a delay. - "'It didn’t have to be this way: had the Republican majority on the Court not intervened at the last minute, we would already have a verdict in the case,' Podhorzer writes. 'We would also have a verdict if they had not rejected Jack Smith when he asked them to decide the same issues last December.'"

Sotomayor Issues Dire Warning on Supreme Court Ruling on Noncitizens: Justice Sonia Sotomayor dissented in the Supreme Court’s latest marriage ruling—and warned that same-sex marriage will be next on the chopping block.

Opinion Are the justices re-examining same-sex marriage?: Majority’s ruling in an immigration case could signal an appetite to revisit marriage equality.

Judge Cannon Brutally Roasted for “Partisan Prima Donna” Behavior: Donald Trump’s former ally Ty Cobb slammed the judge’s “petty” behavior.

She spent 23 years asking who killed her mom. Then her phone rang.: Lauren Preer’s mother, Leslie Preer, was killed in her house in May 2001. On Tuesday, police made an arrest.

Discarded bottle at Dulles helps solve 2001 cold case, police say: Eugene T. Gligor, charged in the decades-old homicide of Leslie J. Preer, made a brief appearance in Montgomery County, Md., court Monday.

Opinion How a long, debt-loving bipartisan consensus has warped U.S. business: Ruchir Sharma’s new book reveals the ill effects from the government’s cheap-money policies. - "Conservatives’ faith that tax cuts will pay for themselves is mirrored by progressives’ faith that their “investments” pay for themselves. The result is the same: debt."

Opinion A memorial for the lives lost to Dobbs: It’s not just the loss of life we mourn. It’s the loss of personhood.

Antidandruff shampoo may help combat some types of hair loss: Some over-the-counter and prescription antidandruff shampoos contain ketoconazole, an ingredient that may help with certain types of hair loss.

As climate change imperils Taliban’s shift from opium, impact could be felt worldwide

AI is exhausting the power grid. Tech firms are seeking a miracle solution.: As power needs of AI push emissions up and put big tech in a bind, companies put their faith in elusive — some say improbable — technologies. - "The tech giants say they buy enough wind, solar or geothermal power every time a big data center comes online to cancel out its emissions. But critics see a shell game with these contracts: The companies are operating off the same power grid as everyone else, while claiming for themselves much of the finite amount of green energy. Utilities are then backfilling those purchases with fossil fuel expansions, regulatory filings show."

Weapons of choice in China’s territorial disputes? Axes, knives, ‘jostling.’: Experts say that China’s use of simple weapons rather than firearms has been a tactical choice, but it may not always prevent escalation.

Trump campaign seeks to head off convention revolt from its right flank: Aides scrambled to foil a plot to throw the nominating process into chaos as suspicions abound about potentially disloyal delegates.

The GOP’s sudden turn away from gay rights — and acceptance: The right wing of the party has reinjected LGBTQ+ rights and issues into our political discussion in recent years. There are real signs it’s having an effect.

Meet the ‘double haters’ who could decide the election: Many voters express resignation, dismay and anger over being asked to choose between Biden and Trump again in November

Public memories. Private struggles.: With civil rights education under threat, a preservationist helps Black families save key sites in the South.

A U.S. Army veteran, deported almost 20 years ago, finds home: After President Biden took office, his administration created a program that allows deported veterans to apply to return to the United States for humanitarian reasons.

Millennials had it bad financially, but Gen Z may have it worse: Today’s young adults are spending more on housing and car insurance than millennials did. They’re also more likely to be in debt, despite higher wages and more jobs.

Va. proposed changes to African American history course, documents show: The elective course was reviewed to see if it complied with Youngkin executive order banning ‘inherently divisive concepts’

A peek inside San Francisco’s AI boom: These photos offer an intimate look at the community powering the artificial-intelligence revolution.

Reading archive 2024-06-11

The ‘bottom whisperer’ will see you now. Back there.: Proctologist Evan Goldstein has made a life — and a fancy living — off anal interventions, drawing ardent fans and curious skeptics.

In Wisconsin, Biden tries to hold on to White voters without degrees: White non-college voters are Trump’s base, but Biden seems to be hanging on to them in this Midwestern swing state

Opinion MAGA Republicans tip their hand: They’re after contraception, too: There is no doubt that the GOP is waging war on women.

Moderates quit Netanyahu’s emergency government, call for elections: The resignations do not immediately threaten Netanyahu’s coalition, but they could lead to more defections and embolden the prime minister’s many critics.

Four U.S. college educators stabbed in park in China, officials say: Four educators from Cornell College in Iowa were stabbed during a trip to Beihua University in Jilin, China, authorities said. Police said they arrested a man.

The world agreed to ban this dangerous pollutant — and it’s working: For the first time ever, researchers have detected a significant dip in atmospheric levels of hydrochlorofluorocarbons -- harmful gases that deplete the ozone layer and warm the planet.

Hamas responds to cease-fire proposal, seeks timeline for end of war: Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Hamas to accept the current proposal “without delay” during talks with Middle Eastern leaders.

Battered by far right, France’s Macron bets big on risky snap election Macron may figure that voters are angry at him, but are not truly prepared to allow a far-right prime minister to head a new French government.

Republicans pitch tax cuts for corporations, the wealthy in 2025: Trump has asked wealthy donors for donations, promising large tax breaks in return if he retakes the White House. - "Now GOP lawmakers and some of Trump’s economic advisers are considering more corporate tax breaks — which could expand the national debt by roughly $1 trillion over the next decade, according to researchers at Stanford University and MIT — arguing that they would improve the U.S.’s global competitiveness."

THE PLASTICS WE BREATHE: Every time you take a breath, you could be inhaling microplastics. - "In laboratory tests on human cells, microplastics can cause tissue damage, allergic reactions and even cell death. The chemicals in plastics — like phthalates or bisphenol A — have also been shown to cause hormonal imbalances and disrupt the reproductive system. In mice, microplastics can cause behavioral changes and reproductive problems and can inhibit learning and memory. Researchers also recently discovered that certain cancer cells spread at an accelerated rate after exposure to microplastics; they are now looking into whether microplastics could help trigger early-onset cancer."

A dispute over direction upsets plans for D.C.’s popular holiday market: The management of the market has become the focus of an intense struggle between its longtime operator and the nonprofit that co-produces the event.

Man fatally shot in possible robbery in D.C.’s Takoma neighborhood: Victim, 28, was the son of the driver for the Turkish ambassador, according to his brother.

Modi’s election setback surprises Indian Americans in the DMV: As Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s and the BJP setback became clear, reaction from Indian Americans in the DMV ran the gamut: shock, hope, worry, resignation.

In Trump’s orbit, some muse about mandatory military service: Only 1 percent of the U.S. population serves in the armed forces. Some in the former president’s camp say it’s time more young adults put “some skin in the game.”

Socialite gets 15 years to life for L.A. hit-and-run that killed 2 boys: Grossman Burn Foundation co-founder Rebecca Grossman struck Jacob Iskander, 8, and his brother Mark, 11, with her car in a Los Angeles crosswalk.

Creating a throw-away culture: How companies ingrained plastics in modern life - "However, multiple investigations, including by NPR, have shown that plastics industry representatives long knew that recycling would probably never be effective on a large scale. Officials have said they encouraged recycling to avoid regulations and ensure that demand for plastic kept growing."

Surprising U.S. economy is powering better global outlook, World Bank says: High interest rates and trade tensions pose risks to a newly upbeat forecast, though.

Smartmatic seeks to depose four Fox officials as part of 2020 lawsuit: The voting technology company will also be able to obtain communications from Fox Corp. board members

The Post at a crossroads: Existential questions in a dire season for news: Critics raise concerns about the values of a new team of executives. Meanwhile, the business woes are real. What does Jeff Bezos want?

She sex-trafficked at least 11 women, police said. Then one turned her in.: Kenika Danielle Leach, 33, was indicted on 135 charges of managing a criminal organization, “the Pussy Kat Klub,” and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking by force, threat, coercion or fraud.

What dead flowers tell us about the future of life on Earth: Amid an extinction crisis, dried plant collections capture how the world is changing. But Duke University is planning to shut down its world-renowned herbarium.

Reading archive 2024-06-05

Microplastics Are Everywhere. Here’s How to Avoid Eating Them.

Juror says someone left her bag with $120,000 cash and promise of more if she’ll acquit: She was serving on a case involving seven people charged with stealing more than $40 million from a program meant to feed children during the pandemic.

Why Mexico City’s thirst is causing it to sink: The demand for water in Mexico’s capital is draining its underground aquifers — and fueling some of the fastest subsidence rates in the world.

Casa Ruby founder set to plead guilty to wire fraud over pandemic funds: Ruby Corado is accused of diverting $150,000 in federal pandemic relief from her LGBTQ nonprofit to her own accounts in El Salvador and fleeing D.C. in 2022.

Alito’s account of the upside-down flag doesn’t fully add up. Here’s why.: A look at the major discrepancies in Justice Samuel Alito’s comments about controversial flags flown at his property and what he still has not fully answered.

Senate Republicans vote against making contraception a federal right: The bill was introduced by Democrats seeking to put Republicans on the spot in an election year over their unpopular positions on reproductive rights.

Biden, in France for D-Day anniversary, to stress contrast with Trump: The president will join other leaders in praising the fight against authoritarianism.

Gunman opens fire at U.S. Embassy in Lebanon and is shot by army: The gunman, who has been hospitalized, was identified as a Syrian national. No motive for the attack has been reported yet.

Opinion For The Post, a Supreme black eye: Deference to Justice Alito hands a scoop to the New York Times.

India’s low-caste voters humbled its powerful prime minister: Modi’s stunning setback in elections this week reflected the power of low-caste Hindus who rebelled against his ruling BJP.

He went viral for driving with a suspended license. The case isn’t so simple.: The case that led Corey Harris to become famous after he attended a Zoom hearing about his suspended license while driving is more complicated than it appeared. [ed. note: actually he never had a driver's license at all, just a Michigan state ID. Dude is a liar and a POS]

Would a reelected Trump prosecute his opponents? He already tried.: Trump and his allies are pretending that his recent conviction gives him moral space to target his enemies. But he tried that the first time around. - "The reality, as Mueller established and as a report from the Justice Department inspector general reinforced, was that there were numerous links between Trump’s team and Russia and that there was an obvious effort by Russia to upend the election. Durham brought charges against an attorney linked to Clinton. The attorney was acquitted. 

"Last year, the New York Times’s Charlie Savage explained that the pivot to focusing on Clinton came only after Durham was unable to uncover nefarious intent on the part of the FBI. 

"'By keeping the investigation going,” Savage wrote, 'Mr. Barr initially appeased Mr. Trump, who, as Mr. Barr recounted in his memoir, was angry about the lack of charges as the 2020 election neared.'"

Conservative attacks on birth control could threaten access: Far-right conservatives are sowing misinformation that inaccurately characterizes IUDs, emergency contraception, even birth-control pills as causing abortions - "Because hormonal IUDs and birth-control pills can thin the uterine lining, which could prevent a fertilized egg from implanting, some antiabortion activists falsely claim that the birth-control methods cause abortions. Between 30 and 70 percent of fertilized eggs never implant successfully, even without birth control, according to Belmonte’s review of medical literature."

GOP plans aggressive ‘weaponization’ investigations in wake of Trump conviction: House Speaker Mike Johnson vowed to use House oversight powers and other measures to target jurisdictions pursuing prosecutions of the former president.

Reading archive 2024-05-28

“The Only Moral Abortion is My Abortion”: When the Anti-Choice Choose

THE DROWNING SOUTH: A HIDDEN THREAT: Fast-rising seas could swamp septic systems in parts of the South

Mexico City and millions of its residents could run out of water in weeks: The metropolitan area of 22 million gets about a quarter of its water from a system that is running dry. Some say it could be unable to provide water by June 26.

The battle for the patio of College Court

Opinion The media and sullen nonvoters should listen to Ken Burns: The historian knows something about civil war — and moral responsibility in politics.

Opinion Nearly everything Americans believe about the economy is wrong: But it’s not just journalists’ fault.

Louisiana’s coast is sinking. Advocates say the governor is undermining efforts to save it.: A new Republican governor is taking aim at the state’s coastal protection agency.

What’s to become of the keepsakes left at Arlington Cemetery?: Thousands of mementos have been placed on the graves of those lost to America’s post-9/11 wars. The collection needs a new home.

How a simple fix could double the size of the U.S. electricity grid: Rewiring miles of power lines could make space for data centers, AI and a boom in renewables.

D.C. Council chair’s budget proposal further hikes taxes, staves off cuts: D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson (D) said he sought to raise more revenue rather than greenlight the austerity of the mayor’s budget proposal.

Reading archive 2024-05-27

Opinion  What more need Alito do before Durbin gets off the stick? Passivity in the face of Supreme Court corruption is unacceptable.

Debunking misinformation failed. Welcome to ‘pre-bunking’: Election officials around the world are adopting “prebunking” campaigns, as AI and other threats jeopardize voting.

HOW FLORIDA IS GETTING ITS PINK BACK

Trump loudly heckled at Libertarian National Convention: “Maybe you don’t want to win,” Trump said to a loud chorus of boos from the crowd. “Keep getting your 3 percent every four years.”

Service fees have upended D.C. restaurants. Here’s how workers really feel.: The Post spoke to restaurant owners and staff about how the fees have changed their work — and whether they actually help.

The Unlikely Women Fighting for Abortion Rights: The end of Roe has turned women who terminated pregnancies for medical reasons into a political force. - "'All these things we never even knew before, because before all of this it was never spoken about,' said Kimberly Manzano, who flew from Texas for an abortion in New Mexico at 18 weeks after scans showed her fetus was missing limbs, organs and genitalia. 

"Ms. Manzano describes herself and her husband as 'big Christians,' who thought abortion was something 'promiscuous women' did to end unwanted pregnancies. Their pastor assumed they would qualify as a medical exception to Texas’ ban. They did not. 

"'We feel it’s our calling to our child that we lost that we do need to talk about it, to educate people, because I feel that we were so uneducated,' she said."

[ed. note: these stupid fucking bitches]

Reading archive 2024-04-24

Yellowstone’s Wolves: A Debate Over Their Role in the Park’s Ecosystem: New research questions the long-held theory that reintroduction of such a predator caused a trophic cascade, spawning renewal of vegetation and spurring biodiversity. - "Yes, stands of aspen and willows are thriving again — in some places. But decades of damage from elk herds’ grazing and trampling so thoroughly changed the landscape that large areas remain scarred and may not recover for a long time, if ever.

...

"Richard Keigley, who was a research ecologist for the federal Geological Survey in the 1990s, has become an outspoken critic of the park’s bison management. 

"'They have created this juggernaut where we’ve got thousands of bison and the public believes this is the way things always were,' he said. 'The bison that are there now have destroyed and degraded their primary ranges. People have to realize there’s something wrong in Yellowstone.'"

These 150-foot-high sails could help solve shipping’s climate problem: Harnessing the power of wind could both reduce emissions from cargo ships and extend the life of these vessels

The robots are coming ... for your wedding: Congratulations. Your gift is a blast of cold fog to the face.

Opinion  So, 112 ignoble, infantile Republicans voted to endanger civilization - "Today’s Moscow-Beijing-Tehran axis is, as the 1930s Axis was, watching."

The debate about Sonia Sotomayor is not about sexism. It’s more dire.: Some want the Supreme Court justice to retire so that President Biden can name a replacement before... before what happens, exactly?

A homeless woman got an apartment. Then came conflicts with neighbors.

Arizona House votes to repeal abortion ban, advancing issue to state Senate

A global study just revealed the world’s biggest known plastic polluters: Coca-Cola and PepsiCo came in at the top of a global audit of plastic waste

Opinion  We have a radical democracy. Will Trump voters destroy it?

Reading archive 2024-04-18

Massive Mt. Ruang eruption sends plumes nearly 70,000 feet high: Indonesian volcano’s explosion -- at least the third this week -- may have injected aerosols into the stratosphere

Watch an Icelandic volcano erupt below northern lights

Is Corporate America In Denial About Trump?: Despite his populist promises, many bigwigs are keeping the faith that it couldn't really happen here. - "'Be honest,' Dimon said, sitting against a backdrop of snow-dusted evergreens, dressed casually in a dark blazer and polo shirt. 'He was kind of right about NATO, kind of right on immigration. He grew the economy quite well. Trade. Tax reform worked. He was right about some of China.'"

Johnson’s plan to send aid to Ukraine moves closer to reality: “Democrats will not be responsible for this bill failing,” one Democratic lawmaker pledged on Thursday morning.

Rock Creek Park Golf Course to undergo major, two-year renovation: The National Park Service signed off on the plan over concerns raised by environmental groups and community members.

Inside the GOP reckoning over Arizona’s 1864 abortion ban: A deeply conflicted state House chamber did not repeal the Civil War-era law on Wednesday, highlighting the indecision of swing-district Republicans

Opinion  Here are the U.S. congressional districts benefiting from Ukraine aid - "If you knew that most of the military aid that Congress approves for Ukraine was being spent right here in the United States, quite possibly in your own congressional district — strengthening our defense production capacity and creating good manufacturing jobs for American workers — would you want your representatives in Washington to support it?"

Turmoil at NPR after editor rips network for political bias: The public radio network is being targeted by conservative activists over the editor’s essay, which many staffers say is misleading and inaccurate - "'Morning Edition' host Steve Inskeep, writing on his Substack on Tuesday, fact-checked or contextualized several of the arguments Berliner made. For instance: Berliner wrote that he once asked 'why we keep using that word that many Hispanics hate — Latinx.' Inskeep said he searched 90 days of NPR’s content and found 'Latinx' was used nine times — 'usually by a guest' — compared to the nearly 400 times “Latina” and “Latino” were used."

Reading archive 2024-04-10

Former Richneck administrator charged in teacher’s shooting by 6-year-old

Gen Z workers can take criticism. You’re just phrasing it wrong.: Young workers want feedback and lots of it. But if you deliver it in the wrong ways, it could backfire.

This is the most consequential technology in America: It’s the most popular social app and music service, the healthiest economy on the internet and AI training fuel

Opinion  Jack Smith’s Trump immunity brief highlights the prosecutor’s mistake

Police fire 96 shots in 41 seconds, killing Black man during traffic stop - "COPA said its review of the footage and initial reports 'appear to confirm that Mr. Reed fired first,' hitting one officer while four others returned fire."

Mothers accused of child neglect will get cash in D.C. poverty study: Study will test whether cash payments alleviate problems that contributed to the neglect allegations

‘Catastrophic,’ ‘a shock’: Arizona’s abortion ruling threatens to upend 2024 races: Arizona Supreme Court rules that a near-total ban from 1864 can go into effect in a battleground state that could play an outsize role in the presidential election and help determine which party controls the Senate next year

Tradwives, stay-at-home girlfriends and the dream of feminine leisure: Some young women see patriarchy as a solution, not a problem. What in ‘The Feminine Mystique’ is going on here? - "The Wall Street Journal recently detailed a new paper to be published in the journal Social Indicators Research that found that, 'regardless of how the question is asked or what measure is used, women say they are more anxious, more depressed, more tired and more pessimistic than men,' the Journal said. At the same time, though, women are also more likely 'to say they are happy and satisfied with their lives.'"

Virginia militia member raised suspicion, then alarm with talk of bombs: A militia group’s rare public warning about a former member shows how concerns around Justice Department prosecutions is changing extremist organizing

Nuclear deal in tatters, Iran edges close to weapons capability: Six years after the Trump administration withdrew from the Iran nuclear accord, Tehran is rapidly accumulating enriched uranium, some of it very close to weapons grade. Experts fear that a bomb could be a short dash away. - "The collapse of the deal, meanwhile, has sharply curtailed the IAEA’s ability to monitor Iran’s activity or investigate any reports of secret weapons activity, the officials and experts said. A U.S. official with knowledge of internal discussions at the IAEA’s governing board conceded that the nuclear watchdog is less capable now of detecting a nuclear breakout by Iran. Such an event could bring cascading consequences, from a Middle East arms race to a direct Israel-Iran conflict that could unleash a wider regional war, said the official."