Showing posts with label drugs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label drugs. Show all posts

Thursday, June 18, 2026

Reading archive 2026-06-18

20 arrested in alleged drug trafficking operation near DC elementary school

All the Sad Hawks: Neoconservatives are struggling to reconcile their hopes for Trump with the failure of his Iran war. - "The defining trait of neoconservative thought is a near-boundless faith in the efficacy of U.S. military power. This faith caused the neocons to recoil in from the Obama administration's 2015 nuclear deal with Iran. A tougher president, they believed, would have used the threat of American might to make Iran accept much stricter terms.

...

"Meanwhile, the administration is attempting to make its supporters forget a decade of claims that Obama betrayed the country by handing 'pallets of cash' to Iran as it permits the country to recover billions immediately, by suspending sanctions, and possibly far more in 'reconstruction' funds that Iran views, not inaccurately, as reparations. The dread pallets seen in endless Fox News clips transferred $1.7 billion to Tehran, a minuscule figure compared with the $12 billion in unfrozen assets, not to mention the potential $300 billion reparations."

The feral hogs ravaging America could come to your home next: Money alone won’t win this bipartisan war. - "The federal government can regulate invasive plants, livestock disease and imported wildlife, yet it lacks jurisdiction over an invasive animal already established in the U.S. Current laws might curb interstate transport, but they cannot regulate in-state markets for feral hogs. 

"These markets exist because while some see the hogs as a problem, others see a revenue stream. Texas law allows people to sell live hogs by the pound at USDA holding facilities. Hog hunting occurs on game ranches in multiple states. These activities provide income on land that’s not productive for crops. It’s hard to coordinate eradication when some folks have incentives to keep the swine alive."

What Color Is the Reflecting Pool? An Investigation.: President Trump wanted an American-flag-blue Reflecting Pool. Instead, he got a swamp.

The Pentagon Might Win the Lottery: But even $1.5 trillion won’t solve its problems.

The Feel-Good Story of the World Cup Is Too Good to Be True: Some of the people celebrating American excess are not what they seem.

The Apotheosis of Donald Trump: On the president’s 80th birthday, it became clear that he has entered his decline.

Thursday, February 5, 2026

Reading archive 2026-02-05

Washington Post Lays Off More Than 300 Journalists: The layoffs cut into The Post’s local, international and sports coverage, and reduced its entire work force by about 30 percent. - "Much of [Weill Lewis's] tenure has been tumultuous, including a shake-up of newsroom leadership and scrutiny of his ties to a phone-hacking scandal while he worked for News Corp. Just before the 2024 presidential election, Mr. Lewis announced a new policy from Mr. Bezos ending presidential endorsements by The Post’s editorial board, which blocked a drafted endorsement of the Democratic candidate, Vice President Kamala Harris. Hundreds of thousands of Post subscribers canceled their subscriptions in response. 

"In a staff meeting in 2024, Mr. Lewis warned that The Post was in trouble. 'We are losing large amounts of money,' he said. 'Your audience has halved in recent years. People are not reading your stuff.'"

House rejects D.C. tax changes, potentially costing the city $600M in revenue: If passed by the Senate, the measure could lead to a months-long suspension of the city’s tax filing system.

No, Billie Eilish, Americans are not thieves on stolen land: Civilization depends on secure property titles, not sincere apologies. - "It is easy to call land stolen, but what about the innocent purchasers who acquired in good faith in the interim? Are they thieves? Is Eilish a thief because, as the Tongva tribe recently asserted, her $3 million mansion in Los Angeles sits on its ancestral homeland?"

What to know about the rare condition Catherine O’Hara had: The late actor and comedian was born with a condition called situs inversus. Here’s what that means.

As West goes after Russia’s oil fleet, Moscow fears for its war funding: New European measures to crack down on Russia’s shadow fleet could severely hurt its economy at a time when it is looking increasingly vulnerable.

Democrats have an early front-runner: Gavin Newsom’s bet on joyful combat and coiffed charisma is paying dividends.

Gavin Newsom is very similar to Kamala Harris: Two San Francisco local elected officials who successfully ran statewide in CA - "My point, though, is that going from holding statewide office in California to running in a national election is not like the A.F.C. champion going to the Super Bowl. 

"It is hard to win these jobs, and getting them involves a real display of political skill. But that skill is not beating Republicans in elections. It’s catering to Democratic Party insiders and affiliated advocacy groups and generating media buzz and endorsements. And this environment is a bad training ground for developing politicians who are good at beating the opposition party. It’s as if you took the winning team from the Champions League and then sent those players to the N.B.A. Finals on the theory that they’re top-notch athletes. You’re selecting on the wrong thing. And it shows."

Our 2024 Wins Above Replacement (WAR) Models: The races where fundamentals pointed to one outcome, but candidate quality led to another

He lost a pinkie trying to kill a man. From prison, he made things worse.: A case in Maryland involving a former high school wrestling star challenged a judge with a difficult question: Who deserves mercy?

Why this vegan environmentalist thinks meat is the future: A new book argues that people will never give up meat — and that plant-based and lab-grown meat will be the “next agricultural revolution.”

D.C.’s largest office-to-residential conversion is officially underway: A former office in Dupont Circle will become a 15-story, 532-unit apartment building, the kind of transformation that D.C. officials see as key to downtown’s future.

On Greenland, Europe stood up, Trump blinked, and the E.U. learned a lesson: For some in the often fractured E.U., Trump’s retreat on the Arctic territory proves that retaliation — not conciliation — is the answer to his hardball tactics.

ICE surge creates new headache for Maine’s Susan Collins: The most vulnerable Republican in the Senate would not say whether she supported the federal enforcement effort.

On a paradise island in the Pacific, meth and HIV epidemics rage: International criminal syndicates have been using Fiji as a transshipment point for drugs originating in Southeast Asia and Latin America. - "Law enforcement officials, customs agencies, U.N. officials and others who investigate drug syndicates believe that the groups operating in and around Fiji are working with each other, bringing together Chinese triads, Mexican cartels, Australian biker gangs and other syndicates with connections as far away as Nigeria."

Friday, March 7, 2025

Reading archive 2025-03-06

Neo-Nazis targeted a majority-Black town. Locals launched an armed watch.: Residents of Lincoln Heights, Ohio, are guarding their streets with rifles after criticizing the police response to a neo-Nazi rally.

Retinol: The Skin-Care Ingredient With a Horrifying History: The miraculous wrinkle-erasing, acne-fighting cream, is the result of decades of horrifying medical abuse.

What went wrong? Israel's spy agency lists failures in preventing Oct. 7 attack

Russia Is Chasing a Deal to Keep Its Military Bases in Syria: A lack of clarity from the Trump administration on Syria has left a void that Moscow is seeking to exploit - "The [Russian] cash injection came as Qatar and Saudi Arabia held off in providing the millions of dollars in budgetary assistance they had discussed providing to the new regime, these people said. They said those countries are awaiting clarity from Washington over whether U.S. sanctions against the former jihadists now in charge will be lifted."

Mike Johnson’s chief of staff charged with DUI shortly after Trump speech: Hayden Haynes backed into a parked car not long after speech ended, police allege.

Inside the scientific quest to reverse human aging: Can reprogramming our genes make us young again? A breakthrough in longevity research may be nearing its first human trials.

When you buy your childhood home, history conveys. Drama might, too.: Drawn by family lore (or hoping to avoid a bidding war), these people reclaimed the houses they grew up in.

Small federal agency blocks DOGE employees from entering its building: The U.S. African Development Foundation denied several DOGE employees access to its offices Wednesday, as DOGE makes sweeping eliminations across federal agencies.

What It Takes to Make Shane Gillis Funny: Sometimes, you need the SNL writers’ room.

The Man Who Would Remake Europe: Germany’s incoming leader is an unlikely force for change. - "Scholz once marketed himself as a 'peace chancellor,' to which Merz quipped: 'Peace you can find in any cemetery. It is our freedom that we must defend.'"

Russia Is Not Winning: At the current rate, Russia will control all of Ukraine in about 118 years.

What Ketamine Does to the Human Brain: Excessive use of the drug can make anyone feel like they rule the world. - "Even infrequent users those who used, on average, roughly three times a month scored higher on a delusional-thought scale than ex ketamine users, people who took other drugs, and people who didn't use drugs at all. Those who averaged 20 uses a month scored even higher. People believed that they were the sole recipients of secret messages, or that society and people around them were especially attuned to them. The psychological profile of a frequent ketamine user, Morgan and her team concluded, was someone who had 'profound' impairments in short- and long-term memory and was 'distinctly dissociated in their day-to-day existence.'"

The Simple Explanation for Why Trump Turned Against Ukraine: The president’s defenders ignore one possibility: He just likes Putin. - "A recent Politico story filled with inside-Trump-world reporting, for example, suggests that Trump was eager to cut a deal, if only Zelensky had flattered him sufficiently: The Ukrainian president 'infuriated Trump last week with his public suggestion he was swallowing Putin's disinformation a response to Trump's suggestion that Ukraine started the war.' Or perhaps the source of Trump's split with Ukraine is revealed by him regurgitating Russian propaganda blaming Ukraine for the war, rather than Zelensky correcting him."

The Rise of the Brutal American: This is how the bad guys act. - "Quite apart from their politics, Trump and Vance are rude. They are cruel. They berated and mistreated a guest on camera, and then boasted about it afterward, as if their ugly behavior achieved some kind of macho 'win.' They announced that they would halt transfers of military equipment to Ukraine, and hinted at ending sanctions on Russia, the aggressor state. In his speech to Congress last night, Trump once again declared that America would 'get' Greenland, which is a part of Denmark a sign that he intends to run roughshod over other allies too.

...

"But what was ominous in 2016 is dangerous in 2025, especially in Europe. Russian military aggression is more damaging, Russian sabotage across Europe more frequent, and Russian cyberattacks almost constant. In truth, it is Putin, not Zelensky, who started this conflict, Putin who has brought North Korean troops and Iranian drones to Europe, Putin who instructs his propagandists to talk about nuking London, Putin who keeps raising the stakes and scope of the war. Most Europeans live in this reality, not in the fictional world inhabited by Trump, and the contrast is making them think differently about Americans. According to pollsters, nearly three-quarters of French people now think that the U.S. is not an ally of France. A majority in Britain and a very large majority in Denmark, both historically pro-American countries, now have unfavorable views of the U.S. as well."

Friday, January 31, 2025

Reading archive 2025-01-31 pt 1

An MPD Squad Seized Illegal Guns Without Making Arrests. Now Two Officers Could Soon Be Fired.: The department (and federal prosecutors) spent years investigating the Seventh District crime suppression team for alleged misconduct and potential crimes. - "Sarah Mancuso, the IAD investigator handling this case, described several incidents where she believed CST officers improperly used the threat of gun charges to coerce men caught with illegal firearms into becoming informants, a clear violation of department procedures. In one instance, she said the officers let a man walk free in order to convince him not to file a complaint against the department for injuries he suffered as he scuffled with police; in another, MPD believes the officers didn’t make an arrest to avoid a complaint of an improper use of force as they scuffled with a man in a wheelchair."

What America can learn from Miami’s trash nightmare: Miami-Dade County officials are considering building the country’s biggest trash incinerator. Nobody wants it. - "But, in general, incinerators probably create less planet-warming pollution than landfills, according to Townsend, who wrote a meta-analysis reviewing a dozen conflicting studies on the subject."

FBI agents who worked on January 6 and Trump investigations are expected to be fired Friday

Renewables were supposed to take over the grid. Instead they’re falling short.: Despite generous tax credits, red tape has slowed wind and solar.

Why climate change may be making your city’s rat problem worse: A new study is the first to link rising temperatures with booming rat populations in cities around the world.

Trump puts industry insiders in charge of overseeing chemical safety: Republicans say the EPA’s slow approval of new chemicals is holding back economic growth.

Polar bear fur could hold the secret to replacing ‘forever chemicals’: In a new study, scientists solve a mystery hiding in polar bear fur. The answer might help us all. - "A chemical analysis revealed that the grease on the bears’ fur — a substance scientists call sebum — contains a concoction of cholesterol and other lipids that distinguish it from the sebum found on other mammals."

'We wouldn't be able to feed ourselves as a country.' Idaho dairy industry concerned about mass deportation

Church ousts priest who copied Musk’s inauguration salute at pro-life event: The Anglican Catholic Church said Calvin Robinson was previously warned against “online trolling.” Robinson called the gesture an “attempt at dry wit.”

Defying Legal Limits, Trump Firings Set Up Tests That Could Expand His Power: The prospect of legal challenges to President Trump’s purges may be a feature, not a bug, for adherents of sweeping presidential authority.

Trump launched air controller diversity program that he now decries: At news conference, Trump read a list of disabilities he calls disqualifying, but his administration started such hiring in 2019 - "'FAA Provides Aviation Careers to People with Disabilities,' the agency announced on April 11, 2019. The pilot program, the announcement said, would 'identify specific opportunities for people with targeted disabilities, empower them and facilitate their entry into a more diverse and inclusive workforce.'"

Federal workers should tell Trump ‘no deal’ on resignation offer: Big financial decisions made in haste are often followed by regret, especially when the terms leave you with no guarantees or options.

Grandmother, two aunts charged with abuse, murder in death of 4-year-old: Police say a grandmother and two aunts regularly wrapped the boy in tape and malnourished him as well as his 5-year-old sister.

FDA approves new, non-opioid painkiller Journavx: The drug represents the first new class of pain medication in decades. - "Vertex Pharmaceuticals, which makes the drug, has billed it as an effective alternative to opioids that isn’t addictive. Journavx works by intercepting pain signals before they reach the spinal cord, rather than acting directly on the brain."

Mark Zuckerberg Defends Embrace of Trump Administration in Meta Q&A: In a meeting with Meta employees on Thursday, Mr. Zuckerberg also doubled down on recent changes to the company’s online speech policies and ending its diversity initiatives.

‘Drill, baby, drill’ is hitting a pricing problem: If AI really doesn’t need that much power, energy companies have less incentive to produce more.

Trump Administration Shakes Up Senior F.B.I. Ranks: Top officials have been told to retire or be fired in the coming days, fueling fear within the agency that has been the target of President Trump and Kash Patel, his nominee to be F.B.I. director.

Several senior FBI leaders told to leave agency or be fired, people familiar with matter say: The ultimatum was unusual for the FBI and suggested that President Donald Trump is purging leadership at an agency he has harshly criticized. - "'All FBI employees will be protected against political retribution,' Patel told lawmakers."

Your robot chauffeur is on its way. Welcome it.: Self-driving cars appear to be safer than those with human drivers. Bring them on.

Senior U.S. official to exit after rift with Musk allies over payment system: A top Treasury career staffer, David A. Lebryk, announced his retirement. Surrogates of Musk’s DOGE effort had sought access to sensitive payment systems.

Tuesday, January 21, 2025

Reading archive 2025-01-21

Meta just flipped the switch that prevents misinformation from spreading in the United States: The company built effective systems to reduce the reach of fake news. Last week, it shut them down - "Notably, none of these [now-deactivated changes] actually eliminated anyone’s freedom of expression. Instead, they restricted what the technologist Aza Raskin has termed “freedom of reach.” Fact-checking and down-ranking obviously false stories allowed liars and hoaxsters to express themselves but sought to limit the negative effects of those lies on Meta’s customers.

Knowing Things is Hard - "History is Written by Losers (2013): winners are busy swimming in vaults full of gold, having a nice dinner and drinks, and going to bed with bevies of cute people, losers have time and grudges and writing is cheap. Thucydides, Polybius, Sallust, and Sima Qian were not winners."

Everest Fallacy: a logical error, the confusion of the extreme and the normal.

This school has a problem, and the solution is dead vultures. For real.: “Apparently live vultures are offended and will not return to where their brethren are hanging dead,” a Virginia teacher said.

Ex-spies say suburban D.C. casino would put nation’s secrets at risk: Valerie Plame and more than 100 other former CIA, defense and intelligence figures say a Tysons casino would be a too-convenient temptation.

Trump reinstates plan to strip protections from federal workers: Trump issued several orders Monday aimed at federal agencies, including a return-to-office mandate and a hiring freeze.

We tried a $1,000 trash can for food waste. Here’s what we learned.: Food dehydrators, which dry and grind up food into soil-like grounds, have emerged as a way to keep food waste out of the garbage. Here’s how to use them.

Files detail bid to contain fallout from Tulsi Gabbard meetings with Assad: Trip to Syria in 2017 is expected to be a focus of questions from senators weighing her nomination to be director of national intelligence.

The GOP’s stunning response to Trump pardoning those who assaulted police: Trump has worn his party down, and few events crystallize it like the GOP’s muted — and, in some cases, positive — response.

The push to ‘billionaire-proof’ social media

Trump designated drug cartels as terrorists. Here’s what that means.: Cartels have set off car bombs and beheaded victims. But designating them as terrorist groups could have unforeseen consequences. - "The majority of those arrested carrying fentanyl over the border are U.S. citizens. Most guns used by drug traffickers are acquired from Americans. In theory, U.S. gun dealers could be charged with aiding terrorists under the new measure.

...

"Arturo Sarukhan, a former Mexican ambassador to Washington, said the problem with adding cartels to the terrorism list was the focus on military solutions to the drug crisis. 'You’re just playing whack-a-mole,' he said, noting that cartels simply reconfigure after kingpins are detained or killed. What’s needed is a more sophisticated strategy, he said, including curbing U.S. demand for drugs and choking off cartels’ money."

To get rid of ‘drug-addicted’ rats, Houston police clean up evidence room: The Texas city’s mayor said he will work with the county district attorney to discard drug evidence obtained before 2015 that no longer has any value.

Cheap, smart, deadly. The tech industry pitches a new way to wage war.: Anduril, a weapons start-up with links to President Donald Trump, wants to see the Pentagon invest more in AI-enhanced drones. - "The high-tech [American] missiles that repelled the [Iranian] assault collectively cost hundreds of millions of dollars, military experts said. The weapons Iran fired were much cheaper: Each of its Shahed drones can be made for about $50,000, according to leaked Iranian documents obtained by Israeli newspaper Haaretz. The U.S. response included SM-3 missiles that can each cost $28 million, according to the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance, a defense industry group.

Tuesday, January 7, 2025

Reading archive 2025-01-07

Drilling could resume where a 1969 oil spill inspired Earth Day: A plan by Sable Offshore to restart an oil pipeline that burst in 2015 has outraged Santa Barbara environmentalists.

Dems picked the wrong senator for Senate Judiciary leadership: They need a fighter on the committee, not a go-alonger. [ed. note: basically, Dick Durbin is a punk bitch]

These common medications could be releasing ‘forever chemicals’ into the environment: Researchers found that chemicals, including PFAS, from pharmaceuticals are entering into wastewater — which can be used as drinking water during times of drought.

Man escapes into storm drain after Beltway hit-and-run, police say: The man fled across the inner and outer loops in Fairfax County, state police said.

Accused of trespassing, Metro cuts some Maryland bus stops: Dispute over damaged roads will create longer walks for elderly and disabled residents nearby.

Amazon to release Melania Trump documentary: The film, scheduled to be released later this year, will give viewers an “unprecedented behind-the-scenes look” at the incoming first lady’s life, Amazon said. [ed. note: how embarrassing]

Cannon temporarily blocks report on Trump classified-documents probe: Two Trump employees charged alongside him in the classified documents case separately asked Judge Aileen Cannon to block the release.

Indians slam MAGA ‘war’ over H-1B skilled-worker visas as ‘racist’: As the top recipients of H-1Bs, Indians have been incensed by MAGA criticism of the program. - "Thakur said the visa system harms both American tech workers, who lose out on jobs, and Indian H-1B visa holders, who remain stuck in a relatively low-wage trap for years as they cling to the hope of obtaining lawful permanent resident status, or green cards. He accused the mainstream Indian news media, which used to be vocal about the brain drain until the late 2000s, of failing to get to the bottom of the issue because of its nationalist stance. 

"'Everything in the big newspapers and television channels on H-1B is largely about the image of India’s IT prowess because it is the biggest story from the last few decades that we like to tell ourselves,' Thakur said. 'But like many stories, it is mired in self-deception.'"

Meta ends fact checks as it prepares for Trump era CEO: Mark Zuckerberg says Facebook, Instagram and Threads will prioritize “free expression,” citing a “cultural tipping point.”

America needs a major culture shift on alcohol: Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy was right to highlight alcohol’s cancer risk.

Trump declines to rule out ‘military or economic’ force to expand U.S.: In a 70-minute, meandering news conference, the president-elect previewed his plans to disrupt the U.S. justice system — and global affairs.

Trump takes ‘America First’ to its expansionist endpoint: The Manifest Destiny of MAGA.

The legacy of Bidenomics: Maybe not much at all: Biden struggled to implement economic policies that will endure past his presidency.

‘Murdered In His Own Home’: Kentucky Cops Raid Wrong Home and Kill Innocent Man Over Alleged Stolen Weed Eater Despite Receiving the Correct Address At Least Five Times

The Curious Case of Lindy Li: How did a “Blue MAGA” influencer and fundraiser turn on Democrats so fast?

Sunday, December 29, 2024

Reading archive 2024-12-29

He faced charges for tearing down their Pride flag. The couple forgave him.: Matthew Henshaw participated in the Heart of Safety Restorative Justice Conferencing Program, which included meeting with the couple.

Legalizing sports gambling was a terrible bet: With societal ills and sports scandals on the rise, Congress should rein in the betting industry. - "Legalized sports betting was supposed to enable gambling companies to identify and weed out problem bettors. Instead, the opposite has happened: High rollers who lose are targeted and courted as VIPs, showered with quick credit and other perks, and encouraged to gamble more — to 'chase' their losses, in industry parlance. Those who actually win big get limits imposed on how much they can bet."

Trump backs H-1B visas, aligning with Musk on immigration: “I’ve always liked the visas,” he said, siding with tech leaders against anti-immigration hard-liners.

A South American waterway becomes a cocaine superhighway — to Europe - "Following a story in The Washington Post that reported on the planned end to cooperation, the Paraguayan government reversed its decision, saying it plans to strengthen collaboration with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration."

The Cyber Sleuth: Geraldine Brooks on Jarod Koopman of the Internal Revenue Service - "It was through a fellow accounting student at Nazareth that Koopman found his calling. 'I knew she had an internship with the IRS, and she came back to the dorm one day saying she’d just accompanied a team executing a warrant on a drug dealer, and I’m like, wait, the IRS does that?' He’d always been attracted to a career in law enforcement, and here was a job that could couple that ambition with his accounting skills. Koopman applied for the internship his senior year and was hired into the Rochester field office after he graduated in 2001. His early cases were white-collar crimes such as investment fraud and Ponzi schemes. 'I’m 20 years old, sitting across the table from people in their 80s who are crying because they’ve trusted someone with their hard-earned retirement savings, and they’ve lost everything. You want to get the person responsible for that.'

...

"Everyone knows that Al Capone was nailed for tax evasion, but it’s Eliot Ness and the FBI who are lionized. The real hero of that bust was an IRS agent named Michael Malone, who lived undercover with Capone’s men, collecting evidence for nearly three years."

Man accused of attacking TV reporter, saying ‘This is Trump’s America now’

Tuesday, December 10, 2024

Reading archive 2024-12-09

Campus ban for two pro-Palestinian activists sparks outcry at George Mason: Two student activists with ties to GMU protesters were given four-year trespass notices for alleged vandalism.

Gold bar scammers claimed hackers could fund Russian missiles, police say: A suspect is due in court Monday in Montgomery County, where police say residents have lost more than $6.6 million in elaborate gold-bar scams.

Scam victims often feel shame. This support group helps them heal.

Drugs like ibuprofen can damage our gut lining. Try this instead.: Studies have linked nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen, naproxen and aspirin, to serious health effects.

LGBTQ+ Americans stockpile meds and make plans to move after Trump’s win: Some LGBTQ+ people are anxiously preparing for what they fear will be a rollback of their rights.

Black D.C. Residents Troubled by City Vacant Property Law

Why hydropower is failing this nation — and could fail others: Warmer temperatures are fueling drought, making it harder for Zambia and other developing nations to generate hydropower.

Philippines pivots from battling militants to projecting power at sea: Philippine leaders say they can turn their attention to the South China Sea because they’ve secured peace with separatist rebels. But the situation is precarious.

Saturday, December 7, 2024

Reading archive 2024-12-07

A major cocaine transit country is halting U.S. anti-drug cooperation: Paraguay’s antidrug agency has decided to halt cooperation with the United States, a significant blow to U.S. efforts to curb organized crime in the country.

Supreme Court term-limits amendment proposed by Sens. Manchin, Welch: The long-shot proposal by Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vermont) and outgoing Sen. Joe Manchin III (I-West Virginia) would impose 18-year term limits on new justices.

Trump hesitates to personally lobby for endangered Cabinet picks: The president-elect is not yet personally pushing hard for his selections, limiting his exposure if they withdraw or fail to win confirmation.

Slain UnitedHealth CEO faced ongoing court battles, threats: Common complaints against insurer denials were written on bullet casings found where Brian Thompson was killed.

Elon Musk’s Martian dreams are a boon to the U.S. military: Defense experts say SpaceX has leapfrogged global rivals and could help the United States deter -- or win -- a war against China. - "William Hartung, a senior research fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, who has been a critic of arms sales, called the predictions that SpaceX could help the U.S. deter or win a war against China 'wishful thinking' that is 'typical of the techno-optimism of the Silicon Valley defense sector.'"

Many targeted for removal by Trump can’t be deported, ICE data shows: Barriers to sending some immigrants home are among the legal and logistical obstacles President-elect Donald Trump faces as he pledges mass deportations

Why so many Americans prefer sprawl to walkable neighborhoods

Asleep at the Wheel in the Headlight Brightness Wars: The crusade against bright headlights has picked up speed in recent years, in large part due to a couple of Reddit nerds. Could they know what’s best for the auto industry better than the auto industry itself? - "The 'brighter is better' mentality is the ultimate thorn in the side of activists like Gatto and Morgan, who view it almost as an insult to their intelligence. Brumbelow pointed to a 2021 IIHS study that demonstrated a 19 percent reduction in nighttime single-vehicle crashes for cars with good headlight safety ratings, but Morgan sees a major issue with that study. 'Basically,' Morgan said, 'it means that assholes with bright headlights are in less single-car accidents than the people that they blind.'"

Monday, October 14, 2024

Reading archive 2024-10-11

Montgomery elementary teacher accused of selling fentanyl indicted: Sarah Magid, 34, also suffered a drug overdose after her recent release from jail.




Vance suggests the left stole 2020 … by doing what his own campaign did: Vance revived the old, false claim that briefly limiting the Hunter Biden story on social media made Trump lose. Meanwhile, his campaign pushed X to do just that. - "In 2020, Twitter blocked the New York Post story after warnings from the federal government — then run by Donald Trump! — that foreign actors might disseminate stolen information. They soon lifted that limit. In 2024, X blocked Klippenstein’s story in coordination with the Trump campaign."


Monday, July 29, 2024

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

Saturday, July 27, 2024

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."

Wednesday, June 26, 2024

Reading archive 2024-06-26

A 3-year-old voicemail goes viral, leads to emotional reunion: The motivational voicemail ended up on TikTok with 6 million views and a movement to find Tameka Rooks, the woman behind the message - "'The goal is to get you to come in and not be nervous,' Rooks said. 'It’s a lot of money [to take the exams]. So I’m just trying to push you. You might be my next doctor. I might need your help one day'"

Michael Phelps warns Congress that doping issues threaten the Olympics: Olympic legend testifies before House subcommittee in hearing spurred by revelations of Chinese swimmers’ positive tests before Tokyo Games.

Biden to pardon U.S. veterans convicted in gay-sex cases by military: Thousands of former service members involuntarily discharged under old sodomy laws will be allowed to apply for withheld benefits.

Latimer ousts ‘Squad’ member Bowman in Democratic primary in New York: The race between Bowman and county official George Latimer was contentious, with accusations of racism and antisemitism. It was the most expensive House primary in history.

D.C. Council approves money to study reparations for Black residents: The District is likely to join localities nationwide in searching for concrete ways to reckon with slavery’s generational harm.

'My Nigerian great-grandfather sold slaves': Nigerian journalist and novelist Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani writes that one of her ancestors sold slaves, but argues that he should not be judged by today's standards or values. - "Igbo slaves served as domestic servants and labourers. They were sometimes also sacrificed in religious ceremonies and buried alive with their masters to attend to them in the next world.

...

"Records from the UK's National Archives at Kew show how desperately the British struggled to end the internal trade in slaves for almost the entire duration of the colonial period. 

"They promoted legitimate trade, especially in palm produce. They introduced English currency to replace the cumbersome brass rods and cowries that merchants needed slaves to carry. They prosecuted offenders with prison sentences."

 - "We, the American dining public, are responsible for covering much of the payroll for front-of-the-house workers. It’s been this way since the Pullman Company hired many formerly enslaved Black people and paid them substandard wages, requiring them to live largely off the tips they earned catering to White travelers."

America imported tipping from Europe — and then took it too far: Our tipping obsession has exacerbated inequality.

Tuesday, June 25, 2024

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.

Thursday, June 20, 2024

Reading archive 2024-06-20

Why Is Everyone on TikTok Suddenly Going to the Chiropractor?

Vermont lawmaker apologizes for repeatedly drenching colleague’s bag: A Democrat said his bag had been mysteriously soaked with water over the course of five months. A Republican from his district admitted to it this week.

A new Fox poll has Biden up. Fox’s prime-time hosts didn’t mention it.: When the new numbers did merit coverage, it was often with caveats.

Despite fentanyl crackdown, Chinese sellers are open for business: A booming online marketplace in shipping small but potent packages of the chemicals used in the production of fentanyl from China to Mexico remains largely unhindered.

Bayer lobbies Congress to help fight lawsuits tying Roundup to cancer: Republicans have repeatedly pushed a provision — drafted with Bayer’s help — that critics say would undo some nationwide pesticide protections.

In 1964, the Klan killed three young activists and shocked the nation: A Mississippi town still grapples with that violent civil rights history

Family of black belts stops attempted sex assault next door, police say: A 59-year-old grandmaster intervened with his wife and children after hearing screams near their academy, Yong-in Taekwondo, pinning the suspect for police.

Convicted serial rapist linked to Shenandoah park murders, FBI says: Authorities on Thursday named a man with a long criminal history as a suspect in the killing of two women 28 years ago at a secluded campsite in Shenandoah National Park in Virginia.

Sunday, April 14, 2024

Reading archive 2024-04-13

DC police dealt thousands of guns; ATF demands answers after concerning number found at crime scenes - Eight years later as COVID-19 took hold in the District (and, as federal statistics show, gun purchases rose rapidly), D.C.’s longtime lone licensed dealer closed his business. A D.C. police spokesperson told the I-Team, 'MPD was required to operate as an FFL from April 3, 2020, until January 4, 2021, to uphold a constitutional right in the District.'"

Germany bars doctor who worked in Gaza, shuts down Palestinian conference - "The conference — and Salman Abu Sitta’s participation in particular — stirred controversy before it even began, with Germany’s antisemitism commissioner, Felix Klein, saying he was in favor of banning the author from entering the country. The furor related to a January blog post in which Salman Abu Sitta wrote that he 'could have been one of those who broke through the fence' if he were younger and still lived 'in the concentration camp called the Gaza Strip.'"

General warns House on Ukraine: ‘The side that can’t shoot back loses’: Within weeks, Russia will be able to launch 10 artillery shells for every one round fired by Ukraine without additional U.S. aid, Gen. Christopher Cavoli said

The joys and challenges of interracial friendships

A drone factory in Utah is at the epicenter of anti-China fervor: After struggling for years for survival, U.S. small drone manufacturers are getting a second shot, despite prices many times higher than China’s DJI

Opinion  How Gen Z took over incel slang - "Here’s how that can work: I like to watch videos on urban planning, and I recently got a TikTok complaining that 'it’s so hard being a walkpilled cardiomaxxer in a carcel gascucked state like Arizona.'"

Prosecutor will probe possible coverup in investigation of teacher’s shooting: Months after a 6-year-old boy in Newport News, Va., shot a first-grade teacher, authorities say they are still examining whether others are culpable - "Commonwealth’s Attorney Howard E. Gwynn, the top prosecutor in Newport News, Va., said his office will probe why one of the shooter’s discipline files disappeared and the other had material removed from it.

...

"The special grand jury wrote that police obtained a search warrant for the boy’s disciplinary files, but the documents were missing when investigators went to the school to get them. They were the only disciplinary files missing from the school. 

"LaQuiche Parrott, the director of elementary school leadership for the district, eventually returned one of the files, but the special grand jury said it was missing all of its disciplinary records, including documentation about the choking incident in kindergarten. The other file remains missing.

"Parrott said she could not recall how she got the disciplinary file, which the special grand jury called 'highly suspicious.' The panel questioned whether she might be engaging in a coverup and recommended Parrott be investigated for obstruction of justice. Parrott did not return calls from The Washington Post seeking comment."

Opinion  This is why Trump supporters will believe absolutely anything

A narco revolt takes a once-peaceful nation to the brink

Sunday, April 7, 2024

Reading archive 2024-04-06

Opinion  How Ukraine’s tech army is taking the fight to Russia

Opinion  Trump swindles his followers — again

Opinion  How No Labels was thwarted — and a disaster for democracy was avoided

Opinion  Recriminalizing drugs, Oregon offers a cautionary tale

Column: The false centrism of political group No Labels

Inside Donald Trump’s secret, long-shot plan to end the war in Ukraine: Foreign policy experts and some Republicans warned that pressuring Ukraine to cede land would reward Putin

Montana GOP Senate candidate says he lied to ranger about gunshot wound in 2015: Tim Sheehy was cited for illegally discharging a weapon in a national park but says he made up the gunshot to cover up a bullet wound he received as a Navy SEAL in Afghanistan that he never reported to superiors

They were thought to be hostages in Gaza. Israeli raids found they were dead.

‘Increasingly chaotic’: Why House Republicans are heading for the exits: The decision by 21 Republican lawmakers to depart is indicative of the broader morale problem within the GOP conference

Top Republican warns pro-Russia messages are echoed ‘on the House floor’: The latest remarks come after another GOP member said Russian propaganda has ‘infected’ the Republican base

Ohio warns Democrats that Biden may miss deadline for November ballot

The unassuming material that could soak up carbon emissions: Researchers want to use the ultrafine rock particles left by eroding glaciers — called ‘rock flour’ — to suck climate-warming carbon from the air

Trump in ‘full sprint’ to close Biden’s money lead as legal bills mount

Opinion  Environmentalism could stop the clean-energy transition

Mexico breaks relations with Ecuador after embassy raid

With no way out of a worsening war, Zelensky’s options look bad or worse

Tuesday, February 13, 2024

Reading archive 2024-02-13

‘It’s a bucket-list fish’: bluefin tuna are back in British seas – and so are the fishing boats

Senate passes $95 billion Ukraine, Israel aid package amid GOP divide: The measure, opposed by Trump and his Senate allies, faces uncertain prospects in the House as Ukraine struggles to repel Russia’s invasion

Opinion  The surge in immigration is a $7 trillion gift to the economy - "As CBO Director Phill Swagel wrote in a note accompanying the forecasts: As a result of these immigration-driven revisions to the size of the labor force, 'we estimate that, from 2023 to 2034, GDP will be greater by about $7 trillion and revenues will be greater by about $1 trillion than they would have been otherwise.'"

Remarks at the Presentation Ceremony for the Presidential Medal of Freedom - "It is bold men and women, yearning for freedom and opportunity, who leave their homelands and come to a new country to start their lives over. They believe in the American dream. And over and over, they make it come true for themselves, for their children, and for others. They give more than they receive. They labor and succeed. And often they are entrepreneurs. But their greatest contribution is more than economic, because they understand in a special way how glorious it is to be an American. They renew our pride and gratitude in the United States of America, the greatest, freest nation in the world -- the last, best hope of man on Earth."

Opinion  China airbrushed away its foreign minister. Why?

Opinion  Biden delivers tough love, takes historic step: Conditioning aid to Israel

Solar water heaters were cool in 1980s. They could be again.

California sea otters nearly went extinct. Now they're rescuing their coastal habitat

Grizzly Bears Are Making A Comeback: Two decades after the George W. Bush administration torpedoed grizzly restoration in the Bitterroot, the bears are returning on their own.

How D.C.’s first sobering center could ease drug and alcohol addiction: The facility, part of the District’s response to a worsening opioid epidemic, exceeded 1,000 admissions in just over three months since it opened late last year

‘The secret that tourists don’t know about’: Readers share what they love about D.C

Tesla worker killed in fiery crash may be first ‘Full Self-Driving’ fatality: Evidence suggests the advanced driver-assistance system was engaged during a fatal crash that killed recruiter Hans von Ohain in 2022 - "Though the company eventually helped cover the cost of her move back home to Ohio, Bass said, Tesla’s first communication with the family after the crash was a termination notice she found in her husband’s email."

Wednesday, January 17, 2024

Reading archive 2024-01-17

Bird populations are declining. Some are in your neighborhood. - "Hunters kill millions of ducks every year, and still many — though not all — duck populations are growing because their habitats are protected. But the habitats that are conserved are the ones where the game is. Many ornithologists want to know whether birds that aren’t hunted, birds most people don’t notice or care about, can be saved too."

Doing your own research is a good way to end up being wrong

Trump’s unsubtle crusade to cast foes as less American comes for Haley

He hit three monster bets — and then the sportsbook wouldn’t pay: One bettor’s big payout was delayed for months because of a practice sportsbooks increasingly use as an insurance policy, according to industry observers.

Opinion  A crime-free D.C. starts with drug-free zones

White ‘gang’ of correctional officers controls Md. prison, lawsuit says - "The suit alleges that White officers created a “race-based gang” to block employees of color and others not part of the gang from promotion and to avoid punishment for smuggling contraband."

Asking people to “do the research” on fake news stories makes them seem more believable, not less: A new study asked thousands to evaluate the accuracy of news articles — both real and fake — by doing some research online. But for many, heading to Google led them farther from the truth, not closer.

MS-13 terrorized Northern Virginia by killing at random, witnesses say: In the first of two trials, prosecutors and former gang members say MS-13 murdered four people in Prince William County to enhance its violent reputation

Haley steps up attacks on Trump, but some in N.H. see her holding back

Biden and top lawmakers make last-ditch bid for Ukraine-border deal: President’s goal of aiding Ukraine remains in peril absent an immigration deal with Republicans - "But a significant faction of conservative House Republicans has expressed doubt about the need to continue spending money on a war that is so distant from American shores. And border security has proven a powerful issue for the GOP, leaving it unclear whether party leaders will ultimately see an advantage in reaching an agreement with Biden on the issue."

Fla. man sentenced to 5 years after attacking 6 officers on Jan. 6: Kenneth Bonawitz’s tackle of two officers forced one to retire; he had denied assaults when confronted