Reading archive 2025-09-08

LGBTQ+ pilgrimage to Rome could test Pope Leo on gay Catholics: Under Pope Francis, the Vatican approved an improbable LGBTQ+ pilgrimage, but the views of Leo XIV, on an issue that has long divided the Catholic church, are not yet clear.

I gave this popular D.C. restaurant zero stars in 2016. Has it improved?: Our food critic returns to the scene of a culinary crime — Founding Farmers — for a pulse check.

Meet the Rugged Guys of the 2026 midterms: They’re bearded, tattooed veterans, and they’re running for Senate. Could they help break the GOP’s grip on Washington?

Here’s a source for critical minerals — hiding in plain sight: The federal government should invest in ways to recover what mines are already producing. - "Every year, metal mines in the U.S. excavate and process millions of tons of rock to extract a handful of primary metals, such as copper, iron, gold, silver, zinc, nickel and molybdenum. The rock is ground into tiny particles and processed with chemicals or heat; then the leftovers are dumped into waste sites. This potentially toxic material must be stored and monitored in perpetuity. 

"Today, most mining operations extract just a small percentage of what is in the rock: copper at about 0.5 percent, gold at around 0.0001 percent. Everything else is left unrecovered, including critical minerals that the American economy desperately needs, such as rare earths, gallium, germanium, nickel and cobalt. 

"But there’s a better way: It’s possible to extract more critical minerals during the process, like squeezing more juice out of a lemon before throwing it away. Doing so would provide domestic resources and leave behind cleaner, more stable waste that is easier to repurpose."

Critics say she’s appeasing Trump. D.C.’s mayor says she’s out to win." Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) believes her order establishing long-term cooperation with federal authorities has staved off an extended White House takeover of D.C. police. Some say she should have pushed back.

What Russia and Ukraine each think happens next in the war: Windows into each side’s strategies make one thing clear: The fighting is probably far from over.

The U.S. could tumble into recession before seeing Trump’s promised golden age: The U.S. economy is at risk of entering a recession before President Trump’s promised golden age, with weak job growth and high inflation blamed on his policies.

Aging homes are crumbling across the U.S. Should government pay to fix them?: The average age of a U.S. home is now 40 years old. Homes tend to be the oldest in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic states and along the Appalachian Mountains.

Reading archive 2025-06-03

The Rise of the Shallow State On the loss of state capacity and institutional memory in the federal government. - "This destruction of knowledge will obviously have serious long-term effects on U.S. state capacity — but in many cases the private sector will also be hit hard. That is because the provision of public goods often incentivizes the provision of private goods — which means the elimination of public goods puts a crimp in the ability of some markets to function. For example, the elimination of NOAA positions will make insurance more difficult to issue."

Records of dead people show how the pro-Trump spin machine keeps going: Supporters cite a prosaic DOGE announcement as evidence that a Social Security problem that never existed has been fixed.

Black Democrats fume over 2024 while ‘searching for a leader’ in 2028: Frustration over the loss to President Donald Trump came into sharp focus this past weekend in South Carolina, an early nominating state and power center for Black leaders.

What’s the best way to store strawberries? We tested popular methods.: Here’s how to store fresh strawberries to keep them plump, juicy and mold-free for as long as possible.

We are witnessing the suicide of a superpower: The president’s assault on science dangerously undermines America’s superpower status.

Infamous D.C. intersection with a Wendy’s in the middle is now a plaza: “Dave Thomas Circle,” a source of frustration and confusion for decades, has been remade into a park space with more efficient traffic lanes. It is now named after Negro leagues pitcher Mamie “Peanut” Johnson.

‘I want my child back’: Surge in D.C. shootings left 20 dead in May: A spike in violence pushed the city’s year-to-date homicide count to 69 as of May 31, nearly equaling the total for the same five-month period in 2024.

We finally may be able to rid the world of mosquitoes. But should we?: Gene editing holds the potential of suppressing mosquito species that carry deadly diseases — and raises ethical questions.

Where smoke from Canadian wildfires has spread into the U.S.: Smoke ended up as far south as the coastal Southeast U.S. over the weekend.

Reading archive 2025-05-12 pt 1

Ruben Gallego’s tough talk in Pennsylvania visit adds to 2028 chatter: Democrats are hoping to tap into the Arizona senator’s playbook to win back working-class voters far beyond his home state.

More alternatives to knee replacement surgery are emerging: Physicians caution that the treatments aren’t permanent fixes, but they may work well for some.

RIP American innovation: Why destroy the funding that made the United States a leader in technology and invention? - "Giving out grants for what might look frivolous or wasteful on the surface is a feature, not a bug, of publicly funded research. Consider that Agriculture Department and NIH grants to study chemicals in wild yams led to cortisone and medical steroids becoming widely affordable. Or that knowing more about the fruit fly has aided discoveries related to human aging, Parkinson’s disease and cancer."

Democrat Spanberger: No right-to-work repeal in Virginia, but maybe ‘reform’: Gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger (D) told a Richmond TV station she would not sign a repeal of right-to-work; GOP rival Winsome Earle-Sears doesn’t believe her.

Attorney general’s brother vies to lead D.C. Bar, upending contest: Bar elections have drawn triple the turnout of a typical cycle with weeks left to vote, animated by the candidacies of two lawyers connected to Trump appointees.

Trump claims prices are down. Here’s what the data actually shows.: While prices for certain goods have declined, inflation remained elevated even before tariffs show up in the data.

There are big, ugly problems at the center of the House budget bill: Republicans have created impossible restraints on their tax-and-budget package.

Biden goes public in attacking Trump — and defending himself: His appearances come amid Trump’s attacks, critical books and residual anger from Democrats.

This is the view from Kyiv: President Donald Trump’s turn toward Moscow hasn’t changed the moral calculus for Ukraine.

Plagiarizing Independent Journalists Is Part of Mainstream Media’s Business - "Plagiarism is shockingly common in mainstream media, especially at the New York Times."

Japan Threatens Their Nuclear Option in Trump’s Trade War - "America’s largest foreign holder of US Treasuries has always been loath to even consider the notion of selling the immense amount of US debt they hold, but Trump has upended every kind of precedent imaginable, and now the financial world’s nuclear option has firmly been put on the table."

The Conclave Just Did the Unthinkable: What an American pope means for the Catholic Church and the world

Trump’s Inevitable Betrayal of His Supporters: Trump never meant to keep his promises. His voters are starting to notice.

Just Don’t Call Her Unqualified: Jeanine Pirro, Trump’s nominee for U.S. attorney in Washington, D.C., is a real prosecutor. She’s also a real MAGA partisan.

Reading archive 2025-03-05

We Have to Stop Underwriting People Who Move to Climate Danger Zones - "The voices loudly criticizing California for its rigid control of insurance pricing are ignoring numerous similar examples from the rest of the country. In 2023, after the federal flood insurance program began to adjust its premiums to better reflect climate realities, 10 states across the political spectrum — including reliably red Louisiana, Florida and Texas and moderate blue Virginia — sued the program. And California isn’t the only state that failed to raise premiums to properly fund its FAIR plan, the state-sponsored insurer of last resort often relied on by those living in climate-vulnerable areas; Florida did as well."

These buildings use batteries made of ice to stay cool and save money: Ice batteries help office towers, warehouses and stores shrink their power bills and carbon footprint. Soon, they’re coming to houses.

The LA Times’ Political Rating “AI” Is A Silly Joke Aimed At Validating Wealthy Media Ownership’s Inherent Bias

Is ‘Dark Woke’ the Answer to Trumpism—or Just Liberal Cringe?: Welcome to the new hashtag-resistance, where viral clips of men defacing Cybertucks are channeling the frustrated energy of the online left. The writer Kieran Press-Reynolds asks whether it’s a promising beginning or a dead end.

Is Social Security a Ponzi Scheme?

Why these states are helping people pay for stronger roofs: As disasters multiply and insurers flee risky areas, grant programs to help residents protect their homes are expanding across the nation. March 3, 2025 - "The surge of interest in shoring up homes reflects the growing pressure states feel to respond to the financial toll of extreme weather, experts said. In many of these states, Republican governors and lawmakers have discounted climate change. But as disasters multiply and insurance companies raise rates and stop selling policies, the economic consequences have become more difficult to ignore."

How China came to dominate the world in renewable energy: China now eclipses every other country in the world — including the United States — in the green technologies of the future. Here’s how it achieved this lead. - "That gap is likely to widen under President Donald Trump, analysts say. As Trump focuses on boosting fossil fuel production and cutting funding for clean energy projects, China is further increasing investment in renewable energy technologies."

NIH reels with fear, uncertainty about future of scientific research: The Trump administration’s orders have created more turmoil and damage at the National Institutes of Health than was previously known.

D.C. man convicted of murder and freed early found guilty of second killing: Police say Darrell Moore fatally shot Julius Hayes after Hayes allegedly spread rumors that Moore was “dealing with a gay guy.”

D.C. police arrest suspect in fatal shooting of 14-year-old: Police said it appeared the victim was armed and may have returned fire in the Aug. 1 incident at Lamond Recreation Center. - "In 2023, the Office of the Attorney General in D.C. declined to pursue charges in at least four cases against [the victim], which included unauthorized use of a vehicle and armed robbery, according to three officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a juvenile record."

Reading archive 2023-09-03

A D.C. grocery store is removing Tide, Colgate and Advil to deter theft: To avoid shutting down an unprofitable store in Southeast Washington, Giant Food will check receipts and remove products

New phone sparks worry China has found a way around U.S. tech limits: Huawei, which has been under U.S. sanctions for years, released the phone pointedly during Gina Raimondo’s visit to Beijing

Arizona GOP rejects single-day vote proposal, angering election deniers

Abortion fight unites the left and rattles the right in key Wis. battleground

Reading archive 2023-01-13

U.S. will begin ‘extraordinary measures’ to stay under debt limit: Treasury warns of ‘irreparable harm’ to global economy as debt limit standoff begins

Burning Man touts sustainability. Now it’s suing to block clean energy.: The organizers of the week-long festival worry a geothermal energy project could damage Nevada desert’s hot springs - "Among the event’s '10 Principles' are civic responsibility and leaving no trace once the party is over. But the BLM recently capped attendance at 80,000, in part because of the amount of trash from eventgoers."

How to report everyday environmental violations and possibly get paid: Filing complaints about idling trucks, illegal dumping and water waste can help the planet and earn you some cash

Sweden finds rare earth deposits that could benefit Western consumers

Scientists inch closer to learning origins of mysterious ‘fairy circles’: No one knows exactly how these circles form. New evidence suggests the plants may be responding to the dehydrated terrain.

A Yorkie was dognapped. A man who hunted al-Qaeda came to the rescue.: Dog thefts — some violent — appear to be on the rise nationwide, but the owner of a Yorkshire terrier and a veteran who hunted al-Qaeda militants in Iraq teamed up to save a dog held for ransom.

Reading archive 2022-06-19

This Styrofoam-eating ‘superworm’ could help solve the garbage crisis: Scientists across the world are trying to find bacteria and bugs that consume trash. A plastic-consuming worm is the latest.

Opinion  We warned Google that people might believe AI was sentient. Now it’s happening.

Reading archive 2022-01-26

“Death Star” response from US would lock Russia out of 5G, advanced chips

Much of America wants policing to change. But these self-proclaimed experts tell officers they’re doing just fine. - "Benigno and his instructors encourage officers to pull drivers over for minor offenses after identifying behaviors that they say are consistent with illegal activity such as drug smuggling. That can include glancing quickly at a police officer, some said; or nodding at the officer, others said; or not looking at all, according to others."

A Chinese teen found his birth parents with a social media appeal. He killed himself after the reunion took a dark turn.

U.S. sends written responses to Russia on its demands over Ukraine crisis

Reading archive 2021-12-14

WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE: The Smithsonian’s #MeToo Moment

Climate change has destabilized the Earth’s poles, putting the rest of the planet in peril: New research shows how rising temperatures have irreversibly altered both the Arctic and Antarctic. Ripple effects will be felt around the globe. - "Aerial surveys document how warmer conditions have allowed beavers to invade the Arctic tundra, flooding the landscape with their dams. Large commercial ships are increasingly infiltrating formerly frozen areas, disturbing wildlife and generating disastrous amounts of trash."

Documents link Huawei to China’s surveillance programs

Staunch evangelical allies of Israel upset by Trump’s outburst on Netanyahu

3 residents of The Villages arrested for casting multiple votes in 2020 election: Few Central Floridians have faced similar charges over past two decades, records show - "All three are registered as Republicans in Florida, voter registration records show. 

"Facebook pages that appear to belong to Ketcik and Halstead contain several posts expressing support for former president Donald Trump."

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has paid his first voter fraud bounty. It went to an unexpected recipient: Patrick, a Republican, promised to pay $25,000 to any tipster who came forward with evidence of real voter fraud. He cut his first check this week.

Mark Meadows’ Personal Cell Is Becoming a Personal Hell

D.C. mayor unveils plans to incentivize office-to-residential conversions as downtown struggles to recover: The market for office space was already slowing before the pandemic when office workers abandoned downtown en masse and have yet to fully return

Taxpayers spent billions bailing out airlines. Did the industry hold up its end of the deal?: Questions have emerged about what worked, and what didn’t, after one of Washington’s most powerful industries was propped up by federal money

Daniel Snyder pledged support for the NFL’s investigation. His actions tell a different story.: Washington’s owner took former employees to court, deployed private investigators and was accused of trying to ‘silence’ a key accuser

Reading archive 2021-11-22

These Americans Are Just Going Around in Circles. It Helps the Climate.: An Indiana city has the most roundabouts in the country. They’ve saved lives and reduced injuries from crashes — and lowered carbon emissions. - "Carmel, Ind., has the most roundabouts in the country. The main reason is safety; compared with regular intersections, roundabouts significantly reduce injuries and deaths. 

"And because the city doesn’t have red lights where cars sit and idle, burning gasoline, the cars of Carmel emit many fewer tons of planet-heating carbon emissions a year. 

"The reason that Carmel has so many roundabouts is Jim Brainard, the city’s seven-term Republican mayor. When he studied at the University of Oxford in the 1980s, he became taken with European traffic flow. Brainard built Carmel’s first roundabout in 1997. Now it has 140, with a dozen still to come.

...

"Having greener intersections dovetails with Mr. Brainard’s climate mitigation efforts. He was among the thousands of leaders who pledged to uphold the Paris climate agreement when former President Donald J. Trump announced the American pullout in 2017. Carmel’s city vehicles are either hybrid or run by biofuels, green spaces sown with native plants have exploded in number and size, and solar panels help fuel the city’s water treatment and sewage plants. Under Mr. Brainard’s watch, the city has also added bike paths, taken out traffic lanes, widened sidewalks and increased walkability, all in an effort to get people out of their cars."

Driver suspected of killing 5 at Wisconsin parade was speeding away from a knife fight, official says

Inching Toward De-Extinction: Can CRISPR Resurrect Passenger Pigeons?

Two Fox News pundits quit over concerns about ‘conspiracy-mongering’ Jan. 6 documentary: Conservative writers Jonah Goldberg and Stephen Hayes said ‘the voices of the responsible are being drowned out by the irresponsible’ at Fox

Inside the QAnon Cult That Believes JFK Is About to Return: “Many people make huge sacrifices financially, in their relationships, in their lives, just to be there.”

The QAnon JFK Cult in Dallas Is Tearing Families Apart: “My sister may be too far gone, but it's not too late to bring awareness to others. Do not fall into this trap.”

Michael Flynn Wants to Outlaw All Religions Except Christianity Now: “If we are going to have one nation under God, which we must, we have to have one religion,” Flynn told a QAnon conference over the weekend.

QAnon Leader Ron Watkins Is Running for Congress and It’s Not Going Great: The QAnon influencer vowed to raise “at least a million dollars” and win a House seat in Arizona. How’s that going?

Reading archive 2021-09-24

Investigation into antisemitic symbols at AU ‘inconclusive,’ officials say: The markings included a swastika, a pair of SS Lightning Bolts — a white supremacist, neo-Nazi symbol — and a Star of David crossed out with an “X."

Opinion: American University sets a dangerous precedent: Antisemitism can wait

D.C. Auditor Looking Into Vision Zero Program, Which Has Only Reduced Traffic Fatality Total Once In Six Years

As eviction looms, unhoused people in Adams Morgan plaza say they’re being used by both sides in political tug of war

A Taliban founder says cutting off hands as punishment will be ‘necessary for security’

The Meaning of Yusuf/Cat Stevens: After a brilliant but turbulent career, he is reemerging on the public stage. How should we feel about him­ — and his music — now?

Al Franken has a new comedy tour. His targets? Former Senate colleagues.

Nine charts that show who’s winning the U.S.-China tech race: Chinese and American companies are locked in a hard-fought battle for technological primacy. Here’s a look at where that competition is headed.

Climate change lets mosquitoes flourish — and feast — in Los Angeles: Warmer weather has allowed the pesky bugs to multiply and thwart attempts to slow their spread

The world’s tallest populace is shrinking, and scientists want to know why

British police identify new suspect in Russian Novichok double-agent poisoning

Reading archive 2021-09-09

Study provides first evidence of coevolution between invasive, native species

A woman was late for her flight. So she told airline workers there was a bomb on the plane, police say.

Opinion: Georgia’s GOP lieutenant governor conducts the 2020 autopsy his party won’t - "From Duncan’s vantage point, the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol was entirely foreseeable. He draws a direct line from Trump’s lies to the restrictive voting bills that Republicans introduced in legislatures across the country, including the state Senate over which he presides."

The world’s biggest plant to capture CO2 from the air just opened in Iceland: The Orca, an installation built by Climeworks, will capture 4,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year — and serve as a blueprint for similar technology.

Breonna Taylor’s image adorned T-shirts, signs and street murals. Now her portrait is in the Smithsonian.

Opinion: How Democrats will try to ‘Trump proof’ the White House — behind the GOP’s back

Inside the Ohio factory that could make or break Biden’s big solar energy push: Toledo-area plant faces pressure to boost output as U.S. blocks some solar-panel imports over concerns about forced labor in China - "Since 2004, U.S. production of the photovoltaic cells that form solar panels has fallen from 13 percent of global supply to less than 1 percent, while China’s share has soared from less than 1 percent to 67 percent, according to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).

...

"Hefty state subsidies of Chinese solar companies helped drive many U.S. and European panel producers out of business a decade ago. First Solar, which grew out of a predecessor company founded in the 1990s by Toledo entrepreneur Harold McMaster, was one of the few to hang on."

Xi Jinping’s crackdown on everything is remaking Chinese society

Reading archive 2021-04-08

Confronted with leaked phone call, Alabama Republican John Merrill admits to affair, drops Senate bid

Intelligence forecast sees a post-coronavirus world upended by climate change and splintering societies

China builds advanced weapons systems using American chip technology

Biden administration slaps export controls on Chinese firms for aiding PLA weapons development

Vaccine conversations can be messy. Here’s how to talk about the shots.

An Indian man died after being beaten by police on video. One year later, no one has been held accountable.

Quantum technology emerges from the lab to spark a mini start-up boom: University of Chicago and partners launch the nation’s first accelerator to support quantum startups as interest in the technology grows

Fears of White People Losing Out Permeate Capitol Rioters’ Towns, Study Finds: Counties with the most significant declines in the non-Hispanic white population were the most likely to be homes to people who stormed the Capitol.

Opinion: What an analysis of 377 Americans arrested or charged in the Capitol insurrection tells us

Korean esports players, staff speak out on ‘unspeakable’ racism, harassment in America

Tourists and looters descend on Bears Ears as Biden mulls protections: Interior Secretary Haaland visits Utah monument amid controversy over whether to restore boundaries shrunk by Trump

‘This is a political prosecution’: After its members were charged in the Capitol riot, one group says it is more popular than ever

Reading archive 08-09-2019

The NRA and its allies use jargon to bully gun-control supporters

‘They’re afraid’: Suburban voters in red states threaten GOP’s grip on power

China leaks U.S. diplomat’s personal information in Hong Kong as protesters flood into airport

Human intelligence can’t be transferred to machines

Reading archive 2019-07-21

How trashy TV made children dumber and enabled a wave of populist leaders

Scrutiny of Chinese American scientists raises fears of ethnic profiling

Reading archive 2019-07-13

We’ve just lived through the greatest period of restaurant growth in U.S. history. Here’s why it’s ending.

President Trump takes aim at Facebook’s cryptocurrency, Libra, saying it should be regulated

Even as floods worsen, Midwest towns plan new riverfront development

Reading archive 2019-06-21

Google Chrome has become surveillance software. It’s time to switch.

White House reporters have arranged farewell drinks with Sarah Sanders

‘I don’t know how we’re going to survive this.’ Some once-loyal farmers begin to doubt Trump.

Murder in the Atlas Mountains: In a crime apparently intended to impress the Islamic State, two Scandinavian women were brutally slain in Morocco. The killings were seized on by the far right to attack Islam.

No Charges For Adult Arrested in “anti-gay hate crime on U Street”, Status of Juveniles Arrested Unknown

Reading archive 2018-10-05

Hoaxers Slip Breastaurants and Dog-Park Sex Into Journals

Elizabeth Warren’s new, tantalizing claim about Kavanaugh shows what utter madness this is

Amazon’s Antitrust Antagonist Has a Breakthrough Idea: With a single scholarly article, Lina Khan, 29, has reframed decades of monopoly law.

Reading archive 2018-05-02

The worthless Washington media

Some Said They’d Flee Trump’s America. These People Actually Did.

Kanye West seems ignorant on the realities of slavery. That’s shockingly common.

Trump’s former health secretary: Americans will pay more because GOP weakened Obamacare

Three black teens are finalists in a NASA competition. Then hackers spewing racism tried to ruin their odds.

Reading archive 2018-02-23

‘Teachers Are Educators, Not Security Guards’: Educators Respond to Trump Proposal

The Case Against Google: Critics say the search giant is squelching competition before it begins. Should the government step in?