Reading archive 2025-07-15

‘Ticks EVERYWHERE?’: Sightings and bites in the D.C. region heighten worries Tick-related emergency room visits are at the highest since 2019, CDC data shows. The Northeast region has seen the most this summer.

Scrape, paint, repeat: D.C.’s never-ending war on graffiti and stickers: Illegal signs, graffiti and stickers keep going up and the District has boosted its efforts to take them down.

Selling public land won’t solve the housing crisis. Here’s what would. Creative solutions to build more affordable housing in the United States can be found in places such as your state and your backyard.

See images of solar eruptions on the sun in unprecedented detail: NASA released images showing three eruptions from the sun.

Democrats face another split over age and values in Arizona: Adelita Grijalva is the front-runner to replace her father in Congress but faces an unexpectedly competitive primary featuring a young social-media-savvy newcomer.

Speaker Mike Johnson and other Republicans break with Trump on Epstein: Democrats also also seizing on an issue championed by the president’s base and forced a nearly successful vote Tuesday to take up the issue on the House floor.

U.S. rocked by four 1-in-1,000-year storms in less than a week Climate change is making severe storms both more common and more intense.

As Trump turns toward Ukraine, Russians wonder if an opportunity was missed: President Donald Trump’s new weapons deal and his increasing criticism of Vladimir Putin have sparked fear among some Russians that Putin could overplay his hand.

D.C. landlord seeks to evict congressman, alleging $85,000 in unpaid rent: In a lawsuit, Rep. Cory Mills’s landlord said the Republican congressman from Florida owes months of rent for his Southwest Washington luxury apartment.

The ghostly white plant that has sparked a war among foragers Monotropa uniflora — a.k.a. ghost pipe — is having a moment on social media. Not everybody is happy about it.

Senate Republicans divided over looming vote to rescind $9 billion in spending: The rescissions bill to claw back funding approved for foreign aid, NPR and PBS is a top Trump priority, but some Senate Republicans have raised concerns about the cuts. - "Democrats have cautioned that if Republicans cut spending that both parties have agreed to, it will make it much harder to strike a deal to fund the government in September, since Republicans could later rescind Democrats’ priorities unilaterally."

What causes obesity? A major new study is upending common wisdom.: Many people assume obesity is caused by too little exercise and too many calories. But researchers have found inactivity is not the main cause.

Reading archive 2025-06-18

Bill Cassidy Blew It The senator failed America on vaccines.

The Democratic Party Slides Into Irrelevance: Why aren’t these boom times for America’s opposition party?

Hear the different ways EVs are reinventing the sound of a car

These centrist women on a group chat are leading Democrats in 2025: Abigail Spanberger, Mikie Sherrill and Elissa Slotkin, who ascended during President Donald Trump’s first term in 2018, are playing major roles for their party this year, in governor’s races and beyond.

I was worried about Trump’s Army parade — until I saw it For the army, this was mission accomplished.

D.C. mayor pushes youth curfew as council advances public safety bills: The D.C. Council also debated a separate public safety bill introduced by Brooke Pinto (D-Ward 2) that would permanently expand pretrial detention and relax college credit requirements for police officers.

The entire D.C. bus network is changing June 29. Here’s what to know.: Hundreds of stops are disappearing, routes are being added and eliminated, and every route name will change.

The Jumping Frenchmen of Maine

Florida attorney general held in civil contempt over immigration law: A federal judge ruled that James Uthmeier violated an order halting the enforcement of a law, which makes it a crime for adults living in the U.S. illegally to enter Florida.

Industry leaders plead with White House on relief from raids after setback: The calls for a reprieve come after the Trump administration reversed a pause on immigration actions at farms, meatpacking plants, hotels and restaurants.

The Curse of Ayn Rand’s Heir: Leonard Peikoff dedicated his life to promoting the author’s vision of freedom and self-determination. But at what cost?

The Perilous Spread of the Wellness Craze: A new book reveals how health-care inequality fueled the spread of anti-science conspiracy theories.

It’s the End of the World (And It’s Their Fault): The tech bros have ascended to movie-villain status.

The Nobel Prize Winner Who Thinks We Have the Universe All Wrong: Cosmologists are fighting over everything. - "If dark energy continues to fade, as the DESI results suggest is happening, it may indeed go all the way to zero, and then turn negative. Instead of repelling galaxies, a negative dark energy would bring them together into a hot, dense singularity, much like the one that existed during the Big Bang. This could perhaps be part of some larger eternal cycle of creation and re-creation. Or maybe not. The point is that the deep future of the universe is wide open."

The Secret History of Trump’s Private Cellphone: “Who’s calling?” the president asks as he answers call after call from numbers he doesn’t know.

Ukraine’s Warning to the World’s Other Military Forces: Expensive planes, tanks, and ships can be destroyed on the cheap.

MAHA Has a Pizza Problem: Functionally banning school pizza is a tough sell.

Baby Boomers’ Luck Is Running Out: After a lifetime of good fortune, the generation has become vulnerable at exactly the wrong moment.

Reading archive 2025-05-13

A new fully charged EV battery in five minutes: Are China's swap stations the future of electric cars?

Trump promised U.S. dominance. Instead, energy companies are faltering.: Oil and gas firms are reeling, and major renewables projects are getting shelved as Trump’s policies rattle energy investors and executives.

MSNBC in five words: ‘I could not agree more’ Searching for dissent and debate on the cable news home for liberal America. - "No matter how it’s produced, television is a medium ill-equipped to cover Trump. My advice? Read newspapers."

What Pennsylvania factory workers say about Trump’s tariffs now: Business is flourishing at this furniture maker, but even here workers want certainty — and lower prices.

How you can shop for money-saving appliances if Trump ends: Energy Star Researchers and policy experts explain why Energy Star has been so successful and what we could do in its absence. - "If Energy Star dies, it would mark the demise of one of America’s most popular government programs — championed by industry associations, environmental groups, and Republicans and Democrats alike."

Land under the country’s largest cities is sinking. Here’s where — and why.: The movement is slow — sinking on the scale of millimeters per year in the United States — but the effects accumulate over years.

Why the Toupee Is Making a Comeback With Millennial Men: Long the butt of sitcom jokes, toupees—now called “hair systems”—have leveled up in recent years, and a growing number of balding men prefer the affordable flexibility they offer to the invasive risk of a transplant.

These Internal Documents Show Why We Shouldn’t Trust Porn Companies - "Stewart became afraid to leave her house. She recalled sending notes to Pornhub pleading that it take down the video, explaining that she was a minor and was shown being raped. Nothing happened, she said. 'I even posted comments on the video saying, 'I’m underage, take this video off,' and got no responses from anyone ever,' she told me."[ed. note: jfc]

Scientists in a race to discover why the Universe exists

Youth pleads guilty in juvenile court to fatally beating D.C. disc jockey: Authorities say the 16-year-old and a teenage companion attacked the man during a spate of street robberies in October; the victim died after weeks in a coma. - "At the time of the robberies, Superior Court officials said, the teen had five other robbery or assault cases that were pending."

Young teens arrested in carjacking of Capitol Hill aide: The gun was placed against the victim’s chest in the Navy Yard area, police say.

China Called Trump’s Bluff: There is a lesson here for anyone Trump threatens. - "'The consensus from both delegations is that neither side wanted a decoupling,' Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced at a press conference in Geneva, as if the whole thing had been one big misunderstanding. The decades of China allegedly 'ripping off' the United States were apparently forgotten, along with China's insolence in retaliating and the supposed need for the U.S. to reduce its reliance on Chinese imports. The administration isn't even pretending that it forced China to pay any special price for its defiance. It is memory-holing the entire 'do not retaliate' episode and moving on as if the point this whole time was to get along better with Beijing."

Retirement Is the New Resistance: The Democrats waging war on their gerontocracy

The Terrible Optics of ICE Enforcement Are Fueling a Trump Immigration Backlash: The president was elected, in part, on a pledge to crack down on immigration. But he may be overinterpreting his mandate.

Who Counts as Christian?: A new initiative will necessitate that the Trump administration makes difficult judgment calls about the faith. - "Or consider the case of an Episcopalian church in Sacramento whose rainbow Pride flag was stolen and burned: Would this task force agree that the attack was an act of aggression against the congregation qua Christians? The church's priest certainly thought so."

Md. woman who allegedly drove through festival to get to work will remain jailed: Kai Deberry-Bostick, 28, of Laurel, was charged with second-degree assault and resisting arrest.

RFK Jr. bathes in polluted D.C. creek on family outing: The health secretary reports on a Mother’s Day outing.

White South Africans arrive at Dulles as refugees under Trump order: The arrival of about 50 Afrikaners under allegations of racial discrimination restarts a U.S. refugee program that has been suspended for all other groups. - "On Monday, the Department of Homeland Security said that it will end temporary protected status for Afghans."

ChatGPT Is Everywhere — Why Aren't We Talking About Its Environmental Costs?: In this op-ed, politics editor Lex McMenamin explains why using AI to search "how to be sustainable" could be accomplishing the opposite. - "McMillan Cottom categorizes artificial intelligence as 'mid' tech — hardly the technological revolution worth the amount of waste and environmental damage it’s meting out: '[Most] of us are using [AI] for far more mundane purposes. AI spits out meal plans with the right amount of macros, tells us when our calendars are overscheduled, and helps write emails that no one wants. That’s a mid revolution of mid tasks.'"

Reading archive 2025-05-04

Attorney General Schwalb Sues Dangerous Maryland Driver Who Owes $187,200 In Tickets & Four Dangerous Virginia Drivers Who Amassed 800+ Traffic Violations

Inside Waltz’s ouster: Before Signalgate, talks with Israel angered Trump" The fired national security adviser engaged in intense coordination with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about military options against Iran ahead of an Oval Office meeting between the Israeli leader and Trump, two people said.

Catholic leaders recoil from Trump’s pope post: “It’s sad both for the White House and for the president,” one cardinal said. “I mean, he makes themselves ridiculous, right?” - "'This is an image that offends believers, insults institutions and shows that the leader of the global right enjoys being a clown,' former Italian prime minister Matteo Renzi wrote in a social media post Saturday."

We figured out where gold comes from. The answer is explosive.: A new study has found that such heavy metals may have formed through eruptions on a rare type of star called a magnetar.

This U.S. manufacturer doesn’t mind Trump’s tariffs at all: But even companies with mostly U.S. supply chains face challenges in tariff-proofing.

Trump says ‘I don’t know’ when asked if he’s required to uphold Constitution: The president also downplayed fears of a recession and spoke of potential successors when his four-year term ends in an NBC interview. - "'I think the good parts are the Trump economy and the bad parts are the Biden economy, because he’s done a terrible job,' he said. 'He did a terrible job on everything.'"

This common phrase is widely misused. Is it worth salvaging?: When a phrase has been misused into uselessness, maybe avoiding it is the best policy.

Congress needs an expansion. A ‘high line’ could make it possible.: An elevated pathway linking Capitol Hill’s offices would ease staff movement and attract visitors. - "To improve accountability, strengthen the link between representatives and constituents and reduce the influence of large special interests, Congress should reinvest in its own capacity — starting by expanding the House. Increasing the number of representatives would reduce the number of constituents each member serves, easing the influx of constituent service requests and potentially reducing the constant pressure to fundraise. Rather than shrinking everything else in Washington, Congress should focus on expanding its ability to govern effectively."

Reading archive 2025-04-09

How to Prepare for a Recession: The older you are, and the more likely you are to get laid off, the more important it is to have liquid savings.

Will Elise Stefanik Get the Last Laugh?: Inside Trump’s decision to kill the MAGA star’s Cabinet nomination

‘A Path of Perfect Lawlessness’: The Trump administration’s arguments in a high-profile immigration case have much broader implications. - "Even though the Trump administration conceded that Abrego Garcia was deported by mistake, it is insisting that federal courts cannot order his return. 'A judicial order that forces the Executive to engage with a foreign power in a certain way, let alone compel a certain action by a foreign sovereign, is constitutionally intolerable,' it said in a court filing. The implications of this argument may not be immediately obvious, but if federal courts cannot order the return of someone exiled to a foreign gulag by mistake, then the administration is free to exile citizens and then claim they did so in error, while leaving them to rot."

The Democrats Won’t Acknowledge the Scale of Trump’s Tariff Mess: The president’s allies are putting up a bigger fight than the opposition party is. - "Senator Bernie Sanders has endeared himself to the so-called resistance by giving Democrats the red-meat denunciations of Trump they crave from their leaders. Yet his critique of Trump's catastrophic global trade war is like mushy oatmeal. 'As someone who helped lead the effort against disastrous, unfettered free trade deals with China, Mexico and other low-wage countries, I understand that we need trade policies that benefit American workers, not just the CEOs of large corporations,' he declared in a statement. 'And that includes targeted tariffs which can be a powerful tool in stopping corporations from outsourcing American jobs and factories abroad. Bottom line: We need a rational, well-thought-out and fair trade policy.'"

Leave the Military: You're at risk of being told to betray your own values.

Police shoot knife-wielding autistic teen behind fence, sparking outrage: Pocatello, Idaho, police shot Victor Perez nine times even though he could “hardly walk,” according to his family. He’s in critical condition with his leg amputated.

What a bear market means and whether you should invest during one: The past few days of market losses have put the S&P 500, Nasdaq and Dow Jones Industrial Average close to bear market territory.

Arrests made in shooting that killed three near Fredericksburg, sheriff says: Three died and three were injured in the Tuesday evening shooting in Spotsylvania County. The ages of the victims and motive of the shooting are unknown, officials said.

D.C. concert venues back bill to crack down on ticket scalpers: The phenomenon — known as selling a “speculative ticket” before even having possession of it — would be illegal under a bill unveiled by D.C. Council member Charles Allen (D-Ward 6).

Musk made direct appeals to Trump to reverse sweeping new tariffs: The world’s richest person, a key Trump adviser and political donor, was ultimately unsuccessful.

Scientists claim to find 'first observational evidence supporting string theory,' which could finally reveal the nature of dark energy News By Andrey Feldman published: Physicists have proposed a new model of space-time that may provide the 'first observational evidence supporting string theory,' a new preprint suggests.

I’m a brain health expert. Here’s why shingles vaccines may fight dementia.: The findings could have implications for managing the large and growing burden of dementia.

Trump has left himself open to a powerful constitutional counterpunch: Trump’s government by spite opens an avenue to challenging his score-settling.

As egg prices soared at the supermarket, so did producer profits: A USDA program doled out hundreds of millions in relief payments to big egg companies, even as the largest earned record profits. - "By wiping out millions of laying hens, the avian flu has slowed egg production for many companies. But the outbreak also has driven up prices enough for some companies to recoup losses and, for Cal-Maine, to record exceptional profits. Cal-Maine’s financial reports show it has been able to more than triple its price for a dozen eggs, from about $1.30 before the outbreak to as high as $4.06, while its feed costs for producing an egg have been relatively stable.

"At the same time, Cal-Maine and other large egg companies have received tens of millions of dollars from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which has been doling out relief payments to help egg companies restock after the virus strikes."

Many lawyers who argue for Trump at Supreme Court are heading for the exit: At least half of the front-line attorneys in the solicitor general’s office plan to leave, people familiar with the matter said, as Trump’s emergency requests pile up at the high court.

Navarro’s absurd claim of $6 trillion in revenue from Trump’s tariffs: Basic economics shows the revenue would be at least half as much — and probably less than that. - "Six trillion is the administration’s new favorite number. That’s what Navarro claims will be the revenue raised by tariffs. That’s also the size of the tax cut package Trump is pushing through Congress. Navarro often suggests the tariff revenue will make up for the reduction in the taxes — though it also means that there would be a huge transfer of the burden of running the government from the wealthy (who will get most of the tax cuts) to the less wealthy (who buy most of the imported products). 

"The value of stocks traded on U.S. markets also fell $6 trillion in the first two days after Trump’s tariff announcement — but that’s probably just a coincidence."

Reading archive 2024-02-21

A Russian missile killed 59 Ukrainian villagers — and divided the survivors

A reporter investigated neo-Nazis. Then they came to his house in masks.: The chilling visit to Raw Story reporter Jordan Green’s home represents an increasingly common tactic by extremist groups

Stalked by Nazis: How extremists tried to stop me from reporting on their violence

How (and why) to peacefully coexist with squirrels: The case for learning to embrace one of nature’s best helpers

A ravenous black hole created the universe’s brightest object, study says

Shock, anger, confusion grip Alabama after court ruling on embryos

Biden administration cancels $1.2B in student loans with new repayment plan

Okla. nonbinary teen died after school fight amid reported bullying

Opinion  J.D. Vance goes all the way to Munich just to insult Ukraine - "Vance is thwarting the solution to the very problem he is complaining about, then pointing back to that problem to justify his real objective: abandoning Ukraine."

Opinion  Ukraine remains stronger than you might think

Opinion  Three crises that give Biden a chance to prove the doubters wrong

Second manager suspected in family’s serial Chinatown Walgreens robberies: U.S. prosecutors say manager was romantic partner of alleged ringleader of robberies that risked a shootout in one of downtown Washington’s most heavily trafficked stores

Opinion  Europe is panicking about Ukraine aid. Biden’s team should tell the truth. - "Crow traveled to Kyiv and met with Zelensky last week, along with Rep. French Hill (R-Ark.). Hill told me he is trying to educate his GOP colleagues about how the aid is spent and monitored.

"More than half of it goes back into the U.S. economy via weapons purchases or to replenish U.S. weapons stocks. European countries contribute more total financial aid than the United States and several give a higher share of their gross domestic product."

Trump and allies planning militarized mass deportations, detention camps: As president, Trump sought to use military planes and bases for deportation. Now, he and his allies are talking about a new effort that current and former officials warn could be impractical and dangerous.

How the housing industry is working to stop energy efficient homes: Home builders have used their political muscle to prevent states and cities from adopting the latest code, which would lower the climate impact of new houses - "A federal study found that North Carolina’s proposed code update would have added at most about $6,500 to the price of a newly built home, not $20,400. According to the analysis, these changes would have paid for themselves through lower power bills and, during the first year alone, reduced carbon dioxide emissions by the equivalent of taking 29,000 cars off the road."

Harvard condemns ‘flagrantly antisemitic’ cartoon posted by student groups

‘They just can’t take this kind of beating’: California mansions on the brink: Across Southern California, slope failures and ground movement after a series of storms have put homes in harm’s way

Opinion  Xi is tanking China’s economy. That’s bad for the U.S.

Tax records reveal the lucrative world of covid misinformation

Reading archive 2021-08-02

Announcing a New Plan for Solving the Mystery of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena: The newly organized Galileo Project will use a three-pronged approach to replace unreliable eyewitness reports with reproducible scientific observations

What Trump got right

A battle of green against green in this Texas community

‘I should have gotten the damn vaccine,’ woman says fiance texted before he died of covid-19

Vaxed, waxed, but definitely not relaxed: Welcome to the pandemic swerve - "The best way to describe what we’re going through right now is the prisoner’s dilemma, says Gretchen Chapman, a professor of psychology who studies vaccination decision-making at Carnegie Mellon University. Vaccines, as with the classic game theory model, provide a collective reward when everyone cooperates, though individuals may have personal incentives not to cooperate. If not enough individuals cooperate, then the people who did the right thing suffer the consequences."

Opinion: The GOP scamming of rural Trump voters continues. A new study shows the latest. - "It has long been central to Republican mythology that Democrats have nothing but seething contempt for the rural and small-town inhabitants of the Real American Heartland. Republicans sometimes pair this with vile lies about Democratic proposals that would deliver economic benefits to those regions, turning their residents against them.

...

"The new analysis from the Niskanen Center finds that the expanded child allowance — which has started delivering up to $300 per child per month to most U.S. households with children — will shower outsize benefits on residents of rural and less populous states and will deliver a disproportionately large relative boost to their local economies."

Oak-mite bites: Cicadas may have left D.C. region an itchy gift

Red Brain, Blue Brain: Evaluative Processes Differ in Democrats and Republicans

Reading archive 2018-04-02

Why Sinclair Made Dozens of Local News Anchors Recite the Same Script

The Kushners Saw Redemption in the White House. It Was a Mirage.

A Smithsonian Horticulturist Goes on a Quest for an Historic Seedling: A live oak tree from a South Georgia island community will one day enhance the grounds of the African American History Museum

Women Lose Out to Men Even Before They Graduate From College

THE MYTH OF THE CRIMINAL IMMIGRANT: The link between immigration and crime exists in the imaginations of Americans, and nowhere else. - "As of 2017, according to Gallup polls, almost half of Americans agreed that immigrants make crime worse. But is it true that immigration drives crime? Many studies have shown that it does not. Immigrant populations in the United States have been growing fast for decades now. Crime in the same period, however, has moved in the opposite direction, with the national rate of violent crime today well below what it was in 1980."

The Massive Prize Luring Miners to the Stars

China Is Making a Bold Military Power Play

Reading archive 2017-12-20

The Year’s Best Late Night Moments Weren’t Funny at All: In a year when comedy shows were struggling to keep up with news, the sharpest hosts were the ones who embraced sincerity

The Republican Tax Bill Doesn’t Actually Simplify The Tax Code - "By cutting down on the opportunities to wiggle out of paying an annual contribution to the Treasury, governments can reduce the burden of most taxpayers while making the system more fair. The government refers to these benefits as “tax expenditures.” The Treasury’s latest annual roundup lists hundreds of them. According to the TAS, forgone revenue from expenditures ($1.4 trillion) was greater than what Congress budgeted for discretionary spending ($1.2 trillion) in the 2016 fiscal year. But while the Republicans talked about broadening the base and getting rid of many of these expenditures, they never got serious about it. The original Senate bill would have eliminated only one of the 10 most expensive expenditures: the state-and-local-tax deduction. Then Republicans lost their nerve when politicians and supporters from states such as New York, New Jersey and California complained about losing the benefit.

A Brief, Infinite History of Saturn Return: The astrological turning point affects all late 20-somethings. But what does it mean, and why has it become a powerful guide for so many young people?

Paul Ryan on whether the tax bill will add to the deficit: 'Nobody knows the answer to that question'

Sen. Collins, it’s bogus to blame sexism for tax-bill backlash - "She is the only senator who staked her continued presence in the Senate (forgoing a run for governor) on bridging the divide between the parties and who vowed to protect the Obamacare exchanges. What she got was a promise from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to pass two partial offsets that would mitigate some of the harm done by repeal of the individual mandate. She also at the time stated that she’d have a vote on those bills in hand before voting for the tax bill. She doesn’t have that promised vote and likely won’t get the bills through the House (which objects to anything shoring up Obamacare). Collins nevertheless will vote for a bill that included repeal of the individual mandate without receiving any offset. Her vote in that regard is no different from that of other Republicans who vowed to rip up Obamacare root and branch. Her constituents and local media are understandably very upset with her."

Sen. Collins says she will vote ‘yes’ on Republican tax bill: In remarks from the Senate floor Monday, Collins affirms her support and details several amendments she sought to provide relief to middle-income taxpayers. - "The bill would also increase the national debt by at least $1 trillion over 10 years after accounting for economic growth, according to an official congressional analysis. Tax cuts for individuals would expire after nine years, while corporate tax cuts would be permanent. Maine’s Sen. Angus King, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, remains a staunch opponent of the tax bill. The bill, which could be voted on as early as Tuesday, wouldn’t eliminate the ACA, but it would repeal its individual mandate, which would lead to 13 million more uninsured Americans and higher health insurance premiums, according to the Congressional Budget Office."

Democrats unlikely to force DACA vote this week, probably averting shutdown

Scientists stunned by massive snowfall increases among Alaska’s highest peaks

Trump just admitted the GOP’s tax cuts were deceptively sold - "Trump's second admission was about the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate being repealed in the bill. Apparently eager to argue that this constituted him having cut taxes and slew Obamacare in one fell swoop (after Congress came up short on Obamacare this year), he argued that repealing the individual mandate was basically the same as repealing Obamacare. But, he said, he told Republicans not to talk about that. Trump said he told allies to 'be quiet with the fake news media because I don't want them talking too much about it.' 'Now that it's approved, I can say that,' he said."

With this tax bill, the GOP has finally killed family-friendly conservatism

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 2017-02-22

WHAT WE’LL TOLERATE, AND WHAT WE WON’T: Milo Yiannopoulos didn’t get his book deal canceled for his bigotry…

The women got up in Brat’s grill, and then some

Could a subtle tweak to Metro’s map fix overcrowding on the Blue Line?

Conservative Justices Skeptical Of Extending Constitution Beyond U.S. Border

The Jayhawks’ Newly Modern Dominance: Kansas is on the verge of its 13th straight Big 12 conference title. Winning may stay constant for the school, but these Hawks aren’t playing the way you’re accustomed to seeing them.

How Trump’s New Plan Affects The 11 Million Undocumented Immigrants In The U.S.

Astronomers discover 7 Earth-sized planets orbiting nearby star

The Trump bubble bursts in Moscow’s markets

In one exchange, Sean Spicer demonstrated why there’s skepticism about Trump’s claims of tolerance

Things got VERY ugly on CNN last night

Democrats’ Best Bet to Retake the House? Follow the Sun

Trump’s mass deportations have arrived. But will Republicans pay for them?

The Trump administration’s blueprint for mass removals, with a streak of cruelty

At Town Halls, Doses of Fury and a Bottle of Tums

The Sad Truth About Milo Yiannopoulos

Reading archive 2016-12-10 through 2016-12-13

Trump Is Still Not Very Popular, and His Problem With Women Could Return

Thank you, Trump voters, for this wonderful joke

An Alt-Right Makeover Shrouds the Swastikas

Trump: Madman of the Year

Who will stand up to Donald Trump?

John McCain, it’s time

Secret CIA assessment says Russia was trying to help Trump win White House

How Realistic Is the Way Amy Adams’ Character Hacks the Alien Language In Arrival? We Asked a Linguist.

Identity Issues Don’t Distract From Economic Issues — They Are Economic Issues

This Trump voter didn't think Trump was serious about repealing her health insurance

A big change to U.S. broadcasting is coming — and it’s one Putin might admire

Reading archive 2016-10-05

The Rise of the ‘Bromosexual’ Friendship

Debate Takeaways: Tim Kaine Presses Mike Pence on Russia, but Not Gay Rights

DONALD TRUMP IS TEARING THE NFL APART: Fights. Friendships ended. Racial divides. Requirements not to talk about a combustible candidate on team property. B/R Mag’s examination of the football locker room electorate reveals that America’s most popular sport is just as politically divided as the nation itself

We might live in a computer program, but it might not matter: Several physicists have suggested that our Universe is not real and is instead a giant simulation. Should we care?

New Debate Strategy for Donald Trump: Practice, Practice, Practice

Against Donald Trump: For the third time since The Atlantic’s founding, the editors endorse a candidate for president. The case for Hillary Clinton.

Reading archive 2016-08-03 part II

A new reason we haven't found alien life in the universe

'Alien megastructure' continues to not be aliens in latest study

Trump Foreign Policy Adviser Traveled To Russia Prior To Changes In GOP Platform

Joe Scarborough: Donald Trump Repeatedly Asked Why We Couldn't Use Nukes

Runaway Trump Train Picks Up Speed As Aides Can't Grab The Controls

CNN's Corey Lewandowski Reignites Donald Trump's Long-Debunked 'Birther' Conspiracy Theory

Obama's American Idea

Setting the Body's 'Serial Killers' Loose on Cancer

Trump Tells Virginia Town It’s Failing, Cites the Wrong Place

I was Capt. Khan’s commander in Iraq. The Khan family is our family.