Reading archive 2025-12-29

The MAGA-fication of Nicki Minaj Once an advocate for LGBTQ+ people and immigrants, the rapper has repeatedly praised an administration cracking down on the same people, and the White House is returning the love. - "'Even Drake has his papers,' rapper Azealia Banks wrote on X in September, according to Complex, mocking Minaj for ingratiating herself to Trump. 'Even Cardi B isn’t a 40-year-old immigrant. … Doing dolphin tricks for the barbs in a country she can’t vote in is rusty babe.'"

Russia isn’t winning. Putin wants to fool you.: Putin’s hope is that U.S. will somehow convince itself that Ukraine can’t succeed. Don’t fall for it.

Russia’s economy keeps driving its war, but it could break in 2026: Problems in the oil sector, a possible banking crisis and consumer woes lie ahead for Russia’s economy as prices for Russian oil plummet over sanctions.

He mailed dozens of antisemitic letters. Volunteers helped track him down.: During a time of rising attacks, threats can’t be ignored, security experts, nonprofit leaders and community members told The Post.

JD Vance is ‘walking a tightrope’ on raging Israel debate within MAGA: At Turning Point USA’s conference, the vice president didn’t mention the topic that’s tearing the movement apart.

Heritage staffers quit amid latest strife at conservative institution: “Most of our staff, from our legal and economic centers, are departing immediately,” Heritage President Kevin Roberts wrote in a Sunday night email to staff.

Ask a Vet: Is it ethical to buy a flat-faced dog?: French bulldogs and other brachycephalic breeds come with high price tags and, often, serious health problems.

White House threatens Smithsonian funds in sweeping content review: “American people will have no patience” for any museum that is “uncomfortable conveying a positive view of American history,” read a letter from Trump aides.

Presenting The 2025 Shams Charania Award For Excellence In Divulging Of Information Through Syntax Comprehended By Many - "I find that LLMs produce sentences that are smooth, glib, poreless, smiling, somewhat like a beluga whale. But every busted sentence written by a human is busted in its own way. Each of these sentences is unwittingly an act of resistance against the onrushing techno-homogenization of language. The writer’s own haste, uncertainty, or sloth manifests itself in the syntax. Every time a person begins to write, they are taking a bit of their interiority and, through a wondrous act of inversion, making it legible to the external world."

Abandoning homeownership may be changing how people behave at work and home: What happens when a generation gives up on ever owning a home? New research explores the potential consequences, and what to do about it.

Burning wood emits more than fossil fuels. Here’s how to build a better fire.: A wood-burning fireplace isn’t great for the planet or your health. But there are things you can do to make your fireplace better.

The year Trump broke the federal government: How DOGE and the White House carried out a once-unthinkable transformation of the nation’s sprawling bureaucracy.

How Trump changed my mind on the filibuster: The Senate’s 60-vote requirement is an excuse for aggrandizing executive power. - "The filibuster functions as a brake on radical change when Congress is the center of the political system. When the president is at the center, the benefits are less clear. The costs also become more apparent because the filibuster, as an obstacle to legislating, becomes a pretext for presidential overreach."

New York's Congestion Pricing Is Working. Five Charts Show How

How Israeli covert activities in Syria seek to thwart its new government: Israel is suspicious of President Ahmed al-Sharaa, a longtime Islamist militant, and has provided weapons, intelligence and cash to militiamen at odds with his rule.

Why the Fed strategically absorbed some blows from Trump: Facing threats from President Donald Trump, the central bank opted for a low-profile strategy, juggling political pressures and the looming question of how far it can go to defend itself.

Trump’s farmer bailout caps tough year for loyal constituency: Red-state farmers continue to struggle under damaging inflation and the fallout of President Donald Trump’s tariff policies, especially with China.

The old-world antisemitism in a Christmas pageant near you: Does the pope mean what he says about zero tolerance of hatred toward Jews?

D.C. customers face nearly 13 percent hike on gas bills this winter: Washington Gas customers in the District, Maryland and Virginia face increases in their bills.

The epidemic of toxic flattery is spreading: What do AI, Trump’s cabinet and the academy have in common? They aim to please.

Pipe bomb suspect admits targeting RNC, DNC headquarters, officials say: Prosecutors said Brian J. Cole told the FBI that he planted the explosives on Jan. 5, 2021, because he was frustrated with the U.S. political system. - "Brian J. Cole, 30, told investigators that 'something just snapped' in him 'because he was unhappy with the response of political leaders on both sides of the political aisle to questions raised about the results of the 2020 election,' according to the filing, which asks a judge in U.S. District Court in Washington to keep Cole in jail pending his trial."

 - "Studies have found that wolves in the Midwest and Canada not only keep deer populations in check, but they also alter deer behavior in ways that help prevent car crashes and save human lives."

Wolves, long feared and reviled, may actually be lifesavers

The real issue strangling America’s electric grid: AI data centers are being blamed for price spikes manufactured in statehouses and D.C. [ed. note: authors are industry hacks who ignore the health costs of coal plants]

Reading archive 2024-10-21

Opinion  Are Americans ready to give up on Ukraine?: All the talk about a negotiated end to the war in Ukraine? It’s designed mostly to appeal to Americans.

Opinion We take our dogs everywhere. Maybe we shouldn’t.: I’m a dog owner. But even I think we should leave them at home more often. - "And even that one park is under siege. I know because of a large sign posted there. It explains that, yes, they really do mean no dogs. Why? Because dogs can damage the area set aside for sensitive native plants and animals and spread disease. The sign goes on to say that birds and other animals think of dogs as predators — “(even the friendliest ones)” — and the presence of one dog, even leashed, will disrupt their normal behavior. Multiple scientific studies back this up."

D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser proposes legislation to buy Capital One Arena: Under the proposal, the city, which already owns the land under the arena, would buy the building for $87.5 million.

Russia’s opposition abroad is tearing itself apart, but clings to hope: Many Russians who want to see change in their country are increasingly doubtful that the opposition in its current form can lead the fight to transform the country.

BRICS is key to Putin’s fight against the U.S. Not all members agree.: With Putin confident of a Russian victory in Ukraine, the summit is designed to send a message that Russia is back as a powerful global player with many friends.

Opinion Harris’s innovative media strategy shouldn’t end on Election Day: Kamala Harris has dramatically broadened the range of outlets for airing her views.

A Pennsylvania road trip finds voters full of doubt, anger and unease

10 apple baking recipes for fall, including cake, pie and muffins: These apple baking recipes celebrate the belle of the fall.

Maryland detectives nabbed gold bar thief using fake UPS package from Kentucky: Montgomery County prosecutors secure first conviction this year in schemes totaling more than $6 million.

Heat pumps were supposed to transform the world. But it’s not going as planned.: Heat pump sales, critical to the transition to clean energy, have slowed in the U.S. and stalled in Europe.

The Perverse Consequences of Tuition-Free Medical School: The latest philanthropic trend, no matter how well intended, might be making health-care inequality worse.

Opinion As hurricane seasons worsen, taxpayers subsidize people to live in risky areas: Helene and Milton spotlight a federal flood insurance program drowning in debt.

Opinion Shoplifting is a real problem. Denying it doesn’t help.: The costs of shoplifting at supermarkets and pharmacies add up.

Reading archive 2003-08-07

Do you let your dog lick your face? It can make you sick.: Infections acquired from pets are likely underestimated. Here’s how to reduce your risk.

Woman arrested in plot to kill Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky

Opinion  How I ‘bribed’ a justice to take a no-expenses-paid trip to Mississippi

‘Fake’ elector plot raised concerns over legal peril, indictment shows: A contingency plan, a crime or a ‘donkey show’? Doubts across seven states and within the Trump campaign.

FACING THE SURGE: With a fast burst of sea level rise, New Orleans’s outer defenses face a major test

Reading archive 2020-02-27

Opinion: For bulldogs and some other breeds, man hasn’t been the best friend - "Its genes are replete with inbred ills, and the dogs — no matter how well-loved — all too frequently live short, difficult and unhealthy lives. That’s why a Norwegian court recently ordered a halt to further breeding of the dog — and the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, too — within that country, saying it amounts to cruelty to animals."

Opinion: What gay men’s stunning success might teach us about the academic gender gap

Opinion: Putin thinks he can win a new Cold War. He may be right. - "We won the Cold War not because we had better soldiers or more reliable weapons or more disposable income, although all of those were advantages. We won because we were right.

...

"There’s a pinched view on the left that America faces a choice between restoring its own liberties and protecting them around the world. 'The primary conflict between democracy and authoritarianism,' Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) wrote in Foreign Affairs last June, arguing against a Cold War with China, 'is taking place not between countries but within them — including in the United States.' 

"If this was true before Putin’s Ukrainian gambit, then it isn’t now. The United States shouldn’t have to choose domestic investment over confrontation with global bullies; we can, and have, done both. We can afford to do it again."

The self-styled ‘Freedom Convoy’ rumbled up at an inopportune time for U.S.-Canada trade

This rural news start-up has two reporters and an editor with no broadband. Already, it’s made an impact.: In western Virginia, veterans of a once-great newspaper are starting something small with big ambitions for serving Appalachian readers.

‘Traumaversaries’ can be hard. Here’s how 4 sexual assault survivors honor theirs.

Barr calls prospect of Trump running for president again ‘dismaying,’ says GOP should ‘look forward’ to others

Opinion: The saddest irony of Putin’s war on Ukraine

RT was Russia’s answer to CNN. Now its pro-Putin spin on Ukraine is sparking new outrage.: Whether defending Putin or downplaying the war, the Kremlin-backed global news organization is drawing louder accusations of propaganda.

Opinion: The GOP’s real fear about Judge Jackson? That she’s every bit as good as Biden says.

Alex Ovechkin’s voice is powerful. His comments on Ukraine were a missed opportunity.

13 days: Inside Biden’s last-ditch attempts to stop Putin in Ukraine: A pair of urgent Situation Room meetings and the days that followed provide a revealing window into the Biden administration’s unsuccessful scramble to deter a full-scale Russian invasion

Putin says he will ‘denazify’ Ukraine. Here’s the history behind that claim.

Historic sanctions on Russia had roots in emotional appeal from Zelensky:: A video call by the Ukrainian wartime leader prompted jaded European leaders to act

Kosovo asks U.S. for permanent military base, speedier NATO membership

A Team Of American And British Special Forces Veterans Are Preparing To Join Ukraine’s Fight Against Russia: The group of 10 NATO-trained war veterans are taking up President Volodymyr Zelensky’s offer for people to join a new unit of foreign fighters for Ukraine.

‘Just short of nuclear’: the latest financial sanctions will cripple Russia’s economy

Reading archive 2022-01-28

Texas dog walker permanently disfigured in 'bloodthirsty' attack by 2 dogs, lawsuit says: Jacqueline Durand, 22, was violently attacked by a German shepherd and a pit bull she was hired to walk, according to a lawsuit against the pets' owners.

A 'Worst Nightmare' Cyberattack: The Untold Story Of The SolarWinds Hack

This Siberian town lost everything when the mill closed. It’s now struggling to find a future.

Pittsburgh bridge collapse injures 10 on day Biden to visit city to talk infrastructure

'Throughline' Traces Evangelicals' History On The Abortion Issue - "'No. In fact, the Southern Baptist Convention, they actually passed resolutions in 1971, 1974 and 1976 - after Roe v. Wade - affirming the idea that women should have access to abortion for a variety of reasons and that the government should play a limited role in that matter, which surprised us. The experts we talked to said white evangelicals at that time saw abortion as largely a Catholic issue.'"

Why Can’t More Straight Men Say ‘I Love You’ to Each Other?: My epic struggle to say it to one of my best friends

How Non-Native Plants Are Contributing to a Global Insect Decline: The impact of introduced plants on native biodiversity has emerged as a hot-button issue in ecology. But recent research provides new evidence that the displacement of native plant communities is a key cause of a collapse in insect populations and is affecting birds as well.

Trump Secretly Mocks His Christian Supporters: Former aides say that in private, the president has spoken with cynicism and contempt about believers.

Harvey Weinstein’s Army of Spies: The film executive hired private investigators, including ex-Mossad agents, to track actresses and journalists.

Reading archive 2021-11-08

Aaron Rodgers said he did the research on covid vaccines. Here’s how he was wrong, according to experts

My hearing isn’t what it used to be. But will I look old wearing an ear device?

Nearing Monday coronavirus vaccine deadline, thousands of federal workers seek religious exemptions to avoid shots

A 16-year-old girl learned a hand gesture on TikTok to signal for help. Law enforcement says it saved her life.

Mold, mice, month of protests put Howard’s housing contract under scrutiny: Students are calling on Howard University leaders to cut ties with the private company that manages 60 percent of campus housing.

Capitol rioter Evan Neumann applies for asylum in Belarus, local media says

A Dog’s Life: Why are so many people so cruel to their dogs? My search to understand a hidden scourge.

Mitch McConnell spent decades chasing power. Now he heeds Trump, who mocks him and wants him gone.: How one of Washington’s longtime Republican power players succumbed to the preeminence of the 45th president

Jordan Love, Trevor Siemian, and The Replacements - "Yet Rodgers is a grievance junkie, perpetually dissatisfied with his coaches, his team, the NFL, the union, his own family, and now, apparently, the scientific community and much of mainstream society. Rodgers believes he's a better general manager, epidemiologist, and (presumably) game show host than the folks who do those things for a living, and he's bitterly disappointed at all of us who are foolish enough to disagree. He's never a very happy camper."

How not to do outside research: Aaron Rodgers offers a master class in what an independent thinker should not do - "Rodgers told a lot more falsehoods, but life is short and you can read about his hubris elsewhere. What is fascinating about this is that Rodgers should know better. Any professional football player must encounter 'independent thinkers' who tell him how he could play his game better all the time. My podcast partner Ana Marie Cox justifiably tweets, '[imagine] how Rodgers responds to the fans who tell him they’ve put a lot of time and energy into researching and met with a lot of different people in the football field and they really think he shouldn’t have gone for it on that last fourth down.' He would probably be pretty annoyed!"

The strategic hole at the center of ‘Dune’: I enjoy almost everything about “Dune.” Except this one thing.

Opinion: Indictment of Steele dossier source is more bad news for multiple media outlets

Scoop: Ex-D.C. Council member Harry Thomas plans run

After embezzling youth funds, a former D.C. lawmaker reenters politics - "Ursula Higgins, a neighborhood commissioner in Ward 5, called Thomas’s return 'fantastic.' 

"'Yes, he has had things he has done in the past, and he has paid the price for his actions,' Higgins said. 'But I also think he has the heart and desire for the city to go in a positive direction.'

...

"Harry Thomas, in contrast, eased his way back into politics. He worked on Dionne Reeder’s unsuccessful 2018 council campaign and has done consulting work for local businesses. He told The Washington Post he has also been advocating for criminal justice reform and against prison labor."

Reading archive 2018-04-11

House Speaker Paul Ryan will not seek reelection

Dog rescuers, flush with donations, buy animals from the breeders they scorn

Reading archive 2017-12-19

African-American History Seen Through an African-American Lens

As Moscow goes high-tech, so does its surveillance system

B.H.P. Billiton, Acknowledging Climate Change, to Quit Coal Group - "It represents the latest example of a business that is largely built around traditional fossil fuels responding to investor and government concern over climate change. Last week, the oil and gas giant BP said it would spend $200 million to acquire a large stake in a solar power developer, while Norway’s Statoil and France’s Total have also made investments in renewables."

Glowing Auras and ‘Black Money’: The Pentagon’s Mysterious U.F.O. Program

The Daily 202: Why a Louisiana GOP senator keeps bringing down Trump judicial nominees - "Republicans have literally changed the rules of the Senate related to filibusters and broken with century-old precedents related to blue slips to ram through a record number of judges, several of whom would never have passed muster to get nominated in normal times. In addition to a Supreme Court justice, the Senate has confirmed 12 circuit court judges and six district court judges this year. Several more are in the pipeline.
...
"The White House has prioritized picking younger candidates (these are lifetime appointments) who have demonstrated loyalty to Trump (and fealty to his agenda). Multiple nominees have been rated Not Qualified by the nonpartisan American Bar Association, yet they got confirmed on party-line votes anyway."

Hacking the Tax Plan: Ways to Profit Off the Republican Tax Bill - "If you can afford to pay some of your mortgage or student loan bills early, including interest — or pay for big, anticipated medical expenses — you will probably get a bigger benefit if you do it this year."

People couldn’t believe two dogs killed their owner. So the sheriff described the horror.

In defamation case, Trump offers new twist in Bill Clinton’s Paula Jones defense

A single vote leads to a rare tie for control of the Virginia legislature

The Republican tax bill was the easy part. The next debate could be much uglier.

The GOP tax plan has a nasty surprise for upper-middle-class parents with kids in college

The one thing the self-employed want more than a tax cut

Why the U.S. could slap import duties on a plane made in Alabama

This old drug was free. Now it’s $109,500 a year.

FDA takes more aggressive stance toward homeopathic drugs

Reading archive 2016-09-01

‘Like it’s been nuked’: Millions of bees dead after South Carolina sprays for Zika mosquitoes

A deputy left his K-9 in a scorching car after work. He found the dog dead two days later.

When a K-9 died, its handler seemed distraught. But then investigators dug up his back yard.

Minnesota Cracks Down On Neonic Pesticides, Promising Aid To Bees

What Starlight Teaches Us About Space (Pretty Much Everything)

The Ultimate Guide To Weddings: Who Should Pay? And What About Plus-Ones?

Reading archive 2016-08-30

Colin Powell’s foundation and Hillary Clinton’s are treated very differently by the media

Rush Limbaugh's Ultimate Betrayal of His Audience: The talk-radio host claims that he never took Donald Trump seriously on immigration. He neglected to tell his immigration obsessed listeners.

Your dog really does know what you’re saying, and a brain scan shows how