Reading archive 2026-05-12

Why banning the recycling logo is progress in the fight against plastic waste: A new California law will ban companies from using the symbol if their products aren’t commonly recycled. Here’s how you can play your part in reducing plastic waste.

A super El Niño wiped out millions of people in 1877. Are we better prepared now?: The climatic phenomenon is expected to return this year, but a lot has changed since what might have been the worst environmental disaster in human history.

Inside the probe that has 13 top D.C. police officials fighting for their jobs: The 554-page internal affairs report, investigators say, paints a picture of D.C. police officials manipulating classifications as they buckled under pressure to reduce crime and avoid the ire of higher-ups.

16 Washington Post veterans on what they would change about D.C. journalism.

Can Trump paint the Eisenhower building? Experts fear irreversible damage.: Susan Eisenhower broke her silence about Trump’s vision to make over the building named after her grandfather. The proposal faces a lawsuit and regulatory review.

After 20 years, the Prince of Petworth still reigns in Washington: Dan Silverman created PoPville to capture a D.C. neighborhood. It has become much more.

Republicans who denied 2020 election results could be governors next year: Winners will have oversight of 2028 elections in swing states like Arizona, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.

Inside Ben Shapiro’s MAGA meltdown: The Daily Wire was once ascendant in right-wing media. Now, the “anti-woke” company faces contentious layoffs, ideological battles and dwindling relevance online.

They’re not saying someone should kill Trump. But they’re coming close.: “Somebody should do it” and its variants have become increasingly popular online memes.

Adam Silver Goes to War: The mild-mannered NBA commissioner has overseen a time of peace and prosperity for his league. Until now.

Democrats Might Actually Win Iowa: Are the party’s hopes for the Hawkeye State real, or just another mirage?

No One Knows What to Do About Britain’s Exploding Anti-Semitism: The first step is admitting that the United Kingdom has a problem.

China Believes America Will Flame Out: Beijing’s geopolitical restraint is all part of a long game. - "In private conversations and public writings, China's leaders and their advisers often describe America as 'declining but dangerous' - a late-stage power prone to bursts of aggression in the hopes of arresting its slide. As early as the 1990s, the height of the United States' unipolar power, Chinese thinkers were already theorizing about America's decline. Wang Huning, then a little-known academic, was moved by his travels through the U.S. to write the book America Against America, in which he described a nation beset by social fragmentation, inequality, and political dysfunction. Shocked by the country's problems of homelessness, drug addiction, racial violence, social divisions, and low education standards, Wang concluded that America contained the seeds of its own destruction." [ed. note: Wang Huning is now a member of the Politburo]

Reading archive 2025-10-06

How Big Agriculture got its way in the latest MAHA report: Alarmed by the first MAHA commission report, the agriculture industry mobilized to shape the next installment. Those efforts seemingly paid off.

Government shutdowns have become normal. This one is not.: Many of the administration’s actions have no precedent, which makes it a harder test of both sides.

Riders on the storm: The birds that fly into hurricanes

How I grew a prairie on my balcony—and how you can, too

The most miraculous animal migration is happening in the middle of New York City: If we can help these creatures flourish in NYC, we can help them anywhere.

The AI bubble is 17 times the size of the dot-com frenzy - and four times subprime, this analyst argues - "'So, in summary; you can't create an app with commercial value as it is either generic (games etc), which won't sell, or it is regurgitated public domain (homework), or it is subject to copyright. It's hard to advertise effectively, LLMs cost an exponentially larger amount to train each generation, with a rapidly diminishing gain in accuracy. There's no moat on a model, so there's little pricing power. And the people who use LLMs the most are using them to access compute that costs the developer more to provide than their monthly subscriptions,' he says."

Reading archive 2025-08-11

Trump readies federal moves on D.C. crime, takes over D.C. police: The president is planning to flex his law enforcement power over Washington, declaring that he would clear the city of homeless people and crack down on crime. - "U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro, whom Trump appointed to the job in May, has called for lowering the age limit for charging juveniles as adults to 14." [ed. note: this is way too low]

FBI dispatching agents to D.C. streets as Trump weighs calling National Guard: The Trump administration has temporarily assigned FBI agents to work overnight shifts to combat carjackings and other crimes. - "The deployment of FBI agents to deal with local crime puts agents from the bureau’s counterintelligence, public corruption and other divisions with minimal training in traffic stops out on the streets in potentially dangerous encounters, diverting them from their typical jobs at the bureau.

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"The reassignment of FBI agents has further demoralized some agents in the Washington Field Office, who believe they have little expertise or training in thwarting carjackers and were already angered by a spate of firings inside the agency that they deemed unwarranted. Last week, the Trump administration ousted with no explanation FBI personnel across the country, including the head of the Washington Field Office."

Why your skin needs sunscreen all year long: Beyond the cancer risk, most of the skin changes we see as we get older don’t come from the aging process but from the sun’s UV rays.

The anti-sunscreen movement and what to know about its claims: A growing anti-sunscreen movement on social media is causing concern among dermatologists, who warn that avoiding sunscreen increases long-term health risks.

Democrats with an eye on 2028 reject some parts of liberal orthodoxy: Some presidential prospects have embraced “Sister Souljah moments” that demonstrate their independence.

Footage shows two Chinese ships colliding while chasing Philippine boat: A China coast guard ship barreled into a Chinese navy destroyer Tuesday as the two vessels chased a Philippine coast guard ship.

A family opened a town’s first bookstore. A bathroom bill is driving them away.: The Phelans ran the only bookstore in Vermillion, South Dakota. They sold it and moved after a new law would have required their daughter to use a boy’s bathroom.

Why does travel make me constipated? A gastroenterologist explains.: We all poop weirdly on vacation. Fiber supplements can help.

Smithsonian restores Trump to impeachment display in American history museum: The museum last month removed a placard describing the president’s two impeachments. The new text makes minor changes — and offers slightly less detail.

New mapping reveals D.C. region’s growing vulnerability to flood risk: As the region experiences more extreme weather, an increased number of roads and rail lines could flood, not just those in low-lying areas.

Substack's extremist ecosystem is flourishing: Yup, they're still at it. - "The role of Substack’s ecosystem in our larger politics was made clear last month in the New York Times. The paper reported that the Democratic candidate for New York City mayor, Zohran Mamdani, had checked both the “Asian” and “Black or African American” boxes on an application for Columbia in 2009. (Mamdani is Indian-Ugandan-American. He did not get into Columbia.) As The Verge’s Elizabeth Lopatto uncovered, the information for this story—which the Times framed as a major scandal—was the product of a hack by a self-described 'violently racist' neo-Nazi. 

"The relevant information was passed to the Times by Jordan Lasker, a Substacker with a reported neo-Nazi past of his own, who contributes to the eugenicist Substack Aporia as well his own, published under the pseudonym “Cremiuex.” (The latter is currently the No. 7 fastest rising Substack in “Science.”) Lasker in turn passed the information on to Benjamin Ryan, the writer of the anti-transgender Substack Hazard Ratio (No. 66 in Science.) The Times then hired Ryan to write the story, giving him the lead byline and allowing him to grant Lasker partial anonymity. He made no mention of the neo-Nazi origin of the information."

The Media’s Urge to Be “Fair” to Trump Is Killing the Republic: Seventy percent of Republicans understand that Trump’s tariffs will raise prices. Why is the press acting like they’re a huge success? - "Uh, no. Here are a few facts and figures, none of which appear in the article. Federal revenue from all sources in recent years has been around $4.7 trillion (it varies from year to year depending on the strength of the economy). Typically, customs fees account for about 2 percent of that revenue. Commit that to memory, please: 2 percent. So that even if tariff revenue doubles, it will account for 4 percent of all federal revenue. It could double again—which, incidentally, would mean tariffs so high as to stifle much international trade—and still account for only 8 percent of all federal revenue. 

"So where does federal revenue come from? About half—that is, around $2.4 trillion or so—comes from the personal income tax. Another third, or roughly $1.6 trillion, comes from payroll taxes. And then about 10 percent, or just under $500 billion, comes from corporate taxes. I know all these numbers off the top of my head, and if I know them, the guy who covers tax policy from Washington for The New York Times ought to know them too. Maybe he does, which would make his decision not to include them in a piece like this all the more bewildering because they provide vital context. But all Duehren has to say on this point is that 'income and payroll taxes remain by far the most important sources of government revenue.'"

Spain Is an Example to the World

Union Leaders Get Tough With Democrats as Members Drift Toward Trump: Doubtful that President Trump has their best interests in mind, top union officials are redoubling efforts to push the Democratic Party to appeal more to their rank and file.

California is pushing the limits of crowdsourced energy

Reading archive 2025-07-16 pt 1

My health and my politics walk into a doctor’s office …: My palliative care doctor and I have almost nothing in common. We’re still learning from each other. - "Her response included a touch of humor. 'I appreciate hearing more about how you were raised and how you view our standing in this life and beyond. But I guess it leaves me wondering, how is this working out for the world? And what happens to moral people when they die? If nothing happens after we die, what’s the point of striving for justice and caring about others in this life? Might as well be selfish, greedy, live the good life and then die.'" [ed. note: what are the morals of someone who strives for justice and cares for others in expectation of heavenly rewards? That makes the moral atheist a significantly greater person.]

Airplanes are loud and may damage your hearing. Here’s what helps.: Even if you are on a flight free of crying babies, the engine noise can be substantial.

Are a few people ruining the internet for the rest of us?: Why does the online world seem so toxic compared with normal life? Our research shows that a small number of divisive accounts could be responsible – and offers a way out

Nursing homes struggle with Trump’s immigration crackdown

From Food Aid to Dog Chow? How Trump’s Cuts Hurt Kansas Farmers.: Kansans created Food for Peace, for 70 years a font of rural income and pride. Now at least one grain broker is trying to sell grain that once fed the world as dog food.

Trump’s Vietnam Agreement Bodes Poorly for Future Trade Deals

The Ruthless Ambition of Stephen Miller

FEMA removed dozens of Camp Mystic buildings from 100-year flood map before expansion, records show

How the rightwing sports bro conquered America

For Hard-Right Lawmakers, Trump’s Shift on Epstein Is Just the Latest Breach: Right-wing Republicans have also criticized the president’s stances on Iran and Ukraine, hinting at a broader fraying of his political coalition.

WHY MANY AMERICAN GARDENS ARE FULL OF MULCH?

American Father and Vlogger Tricked Into Front Line Combat by Russia: The Texas man is the latest in a string of Americans lured to Russia by propaganda, yet confronting a reality that is altogether different than the utopia they were sold.

Human Collapse: Russia Moves to Conceal Severe Demographic Crisis: Russia has begun to restrict access to data relating to demographic statistics in a sign that they are likely to reveal a deteriorating population situation.

D.C. Ward 8 voters return indicted Trayon White to office after expulsion White beat opponents ANC Chair Salim Adofo, attorney Mike Austin and public servant Sheila Bunn for the seat.

Democrats have only one escape route Unifying behind platitudes isn’t the way out of irrelevance. Making voters choose is.

Inside the Silicon Valley push to breed super-babies: Investors say genetic prediction services for embryos, used by Elon Musk and others, are a trust fund for future children. Many scientists are skeptical. - "But the paper laying out that breakthrough, published last year in the peer-reviewed journal F&S Reports, is fundamentally flawed, according to Stanford’s Yatsenko and Aleks Rajkovic, chief genomics officer at the University of California at San Francisco Health Center for Clinical Genetics and Genomics. It excluded results that didn’t fit its thesis, Yatsenko said, and both scientists said that by using Orchid’s own lab to check those results, its authors didn’t adhere to ideal scientific practice. Orchid said that the paper’s findings had been verified by independent labs and that there were 'zero discrepancies' in the results."

You might be fooling yourself about peanut butter, plus 5 other protein mistakes: Are you eating enough protein at breakfast? Most people aren’t.

DOJ hits states with broad requests for voter rolls, election data: Election clerks in both parties, already facing harassment and lawsuits over Trump’s false 2020 election claims, worry about efforts to examine voting machines.

Reading archive 2025-07-08

An AI That Couldn’t Care Less About Humans The quirky show Murderbot suggests that intelligent machines might be interested in something other than humanity.

A guide to the 2025 D.C. Ward 8 election: What to know before you vote: Four candidates are vying for the chance to represent Ward 8 on the D.C. Council, including former council member Trayon White Sr., who was expelled in February.

80-year-old accused of killing wife after attacking her with a hammer: Police in Montgomery County, Maryland, say the slaying occurred inside the couple’s apartment at the Leisure World community.

3-year-old dies after shooting in D.C., police say: Toddler was in a parked car in Southeast with relatives Saturday.

FBI agent accused of raping clients in his tattoo parlor goes on trial: Eduardo Valdivia, currently suspended by the bureau, was acquitted in a different trial three years ago after shooting a panhandler aboard a moving Metro train.

Why Evangelicals Turned Their Back on PEPFAR: A religious movement that has so often taken public stands has been unusually quiet since Trump gutted the program to combat AIDS in Africa. - "The President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, first authorized by Bush in 2003, was the largest commitment made by any nation to address a single disease. It was, the president said, 'a work of mercy beyond all current international efforts to help the people of Africa.' PEPFAR, which received strong bipartisan support, is credited with saving 26 million lives and enabling almost 8 million babies to be born without HIV. It transformed the landscape of the HIV epidemic and helped stabilize the African continent. Not only is PEPFAR the single most successful policy to date in U.S.-Africa relations; it is 'also one of the most successful foreign policy programs in U.S. history,' as Belinda Archibong, a fellow at the Brookings Institution, wrote last year."

How Much Worse Is This Going to Get?: Political violence poses an existential threat to our nation and our freedoms—but it’s not too late.

The Man Who Thinks Medicaid Cuts Won’t Cut Medicaid: In Kevin Hassett, the Trump administration has picked an especially unfortunate spokesperson. - "Hassett proceeded to serve as chair of the Council of Economic Advisers in the first Trump administration, where his capacity for optimistic projection again proved useful. During the first weeks of the coronavirus pandemic, in 2020, Hassett designed a "curve-fitting exercise" indicating that deaths from the virus would peak in April and trail off to almost zero by mid-May. That is not, in fact, what happened."

Why China Isn’t a Bigger Player in the Middle East: Iran and Israel came to blows, and Beijing mostly ducked.

Why Texas’ floods are a warning for the rest of the country: The disaster that unfolded in Kerr County, Texas, shows how many communities will struggle to prepare for extreme weather as the federal government pulls back.

Reading archive 2025-05-30

Trump fires director of the National Portrait Gallery: It was unclear if Trump can dismiss Smithsonian leaders. The termination of Kim Sajet marks the president’s first action against an institution he has vowed to purge of “anti-American ideology.”

Why D.C. should brace for a brutally hot and humid summer: This summer in Washington D.C. could be on par with some of the hottest on record.

The bully gets punched in the nose: More and more Americans are summoning the courage to fight back against President Donald Trump. - "What remains is the wreckage: a loss of faith in U.S. credit, reflected in what the Brits are calling a “moron premium” that the markets are imposing on Trump, which is pushing up bond yields and interest rates; a generation of talent departing the federal government; a loss of goodwill among foreign partners that would take years to rebuild, if it can be rebuilt at all; and the devastation of the scientific research at American universities that has long powered the American economy."

Reading archive 2025-04-30 pt 2

The Maltese Falcon Poachers: How European hunters brought death and destruction to Egypt's migratory birds: 15-month-long investigation sheds light on how the EU is spending money to protect the same birds that are being gunned down in Egypt.

"I was shocked" by dominance of luxury brands in Milan says Philippe Starck

Which home energy upgrades will save you money? We did the math. Upgrades will cut carbon pollution, but even with tax credits, it can be difficult to save money.

These ferries speed commutes and cut pollution — and they fly: The battery-powered boats rise above the waves on hydrofoils, making them faster and better for the climate than traditional diesel ferries.

Trump is killing one of our strongest exports The president wants to balance U.S. trade deficits? He can’t do it without this industry he hates. - "Colleges and universities are among America’s most competitive international exporters. In dollar terms, last year, the United States sold more educational services to the rest of the world than it sold in natural gas and coal combined."

Colossal squid captured on video in deep sea for first time: The mysterious creature was filmed in the ocean near Antarctica. Scientists documented the juvenile, which could grow to more than 1,000 pounds.

Scientists work to save disappearing woodrats in eastern U.S.: Woodrats, which look like a cross between a rat and a hamster, are important to mountain ecosystems.

In a town inundated by flood water, one house remained dry: A family in western Tennessee built levees around their home -- and managed to keep floodwaters from deluging it earlier this month.

Trump’s D.C. U.S. attorney pick appeared on Russian state media over 150 times: Nominee Ed Martin did not initially disclose his RT and Sputnik appearances from 2016 to 2024 to the Senate. The State Department has said the networks act like arms of Russian intelligence. - "In early 2022, Martin told an interviewer on the same arm of RT’s global network that 'there’s no evidence' of a Russian military buildup on Ukraine’s borders, criticizing U.S. officials as warmongering and ignoring Russia’s security concerns. Russia invaded nine days later, igniting a war that continues today.

...

"Martin has omitted far more from his nomination materials than other recent U.S. attorney nominees, two people familiar with the process said Monday, one of them estimating omissions of about 350 events, interviews and media appearances."

The Harem of Elon Musk: The DOGE leader is offering the Republican Party a very different vision of fatherhood.

America Is Watching the Rise of a Dual State: For most people, the courts will continue to operate as usual—until they don’t. - "The list of measures purpose-built to cleave off a domain in which the law does not apply grows by the day: the pardons that bless and invite insurrectionary violence; the purges of career lawyers at the Justice Department and in the Southern District of New York, inspectors general across the government, and senior FBI agents; the attorney general's command that lawyers obey the president over their own understanding of the Constitution; the appointment of people such as Kash Patel and Dan Bongino, who seem to view their loyalty to the president as more compelling than their constitutional oath; the president's declaration that he and the attorney general are the sole authoritative interpreters of federal law for the executive branch; the transformation of ordinary spending responsibilities into discretionary tools to punish partisan foes; the stripping of security clearances from perceived enemies and opponents; the threat of criminal prosecutions for speech deemed unfavorable by the president; and the verbal attacks on judges for enforcing the law."

‘This Is What We Were Always Scared of’: DOGE Is Building a Surveillance State - "Over the past 100 days, DOGE teams have grabbed personal data about U.S. residents from dozens of federal databases and are reportedly merging it all into a master database at the Department of Homeland Security. This month, House Democratic lawmakers reported that a whistle-blower had come forward to reveal that the master database will combine data from federal agencies including the Social Security Administration, the Internal Revenue Service and the Department of Health and Human Services. The whistle-blower also alleged that DOGE workers are filling backpacks with multiple laptops, each one loaded with purloined agency data."

Reading archive 2025-04-08

Israel walks back its account of the killing of 15 medics in Gaza after video seems to contradict it

Trade Will Move On Without the United States: The tariffs will destroy another pillar of American power and leave a vacuum for others to fill. - "The results are unlikely to be what the administration anticipates. Some foreign companies may indeed respond to the tariffs by building factories in the U.S. to maintain their presence in a crucial market. But many others are simply too small, or too integrated into existing supply chains, to make that move. Where the millions of American workers will come from to screw together iPhones or make car parts is also a mystery, especially given the president's opposition to large-scale immigration. Factories in the U.S. are already struggling to find workers; the manufacturing sector has hundreds of thousands of vacant openings.

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"Other countries long accepted U.S. leadership because they saw Washington as a proponent of global economic progress. The role Trump is choosing for the United States is not that. He may eventually roll back tariffs for those countries that negotiate with him, and he may even see this as a show of kingpin-like strength: Trump has already said that he'd be willing to reduce duties on China in return for a deal involving TikTok. But the erratic and arbitrary nature of the policies, and the willingness to exploit U.S. economic might to extort concessions, will undermine American standing nearly everywhere."

Why America’s Oligarchs May Regret Their Obedience: Putin’s Russia shows what happens when billionaire businessmen choose to back a strongman. - "Putin's regime offers a stark illustration of how democratic institutions can be hollowed out. Some of Trump's recent moves contain echoes of Kremlin strategy: canceling institutional checks in favor of loyalist appointments, attacking lawyers who work for opponents, demolishing independent agencies, feeding popular delusions of imperial greatness by threatening neighbors. The reforms of Musk's DOGE outfit are set to shift public goods into private hands."

Here Are the Places Where the Recession Has Already Begun: Towns near the Canadian border are suffering. - "He cannot buy feed from another supplier; there aren't any nearby, and getting it from farther away would be more expensive. When he got the delivery, he stared at the tariff for a while. Shouldn't his Canadian supplier have been responsible for paying it? 'I'm not even sure it's legal! We contracted for the price on delivery! If your price of fuel goes up or your truck breaks down, that's not my problem! That's what the contract's for.' 

"But the tariff was legal, and it was Gilbert's responsibility." [ed. note: lol eat shit]

The Cabinet Secretary Who Wants His Cookies Freshly Baked: The unusual requests made of Interior Secretary Doug Burgum’s staff are raising concerns all the way to the White House.

Defying the Courts Will Backfire: The public has not responded kindly to other politicians who have tried this in the past.

Trump Has Already Botched His Own Bad Tariff Plan: Once you’ve said you might negotiate, nobody is going to believe you when you change your mind and say you’ll never negotiate. - "The key to making it work was to convince businesses that the new arrangement is durable. Nobody is going to invest in building new factories in the United States to create goods that until last week could be imported more cheaply unless they’re certain that the tariffs making the domestic version more competitive will stay in place. (They’re probably not going to do it anyway, in part because they don’t know who will be president in four years, but the point is that confidence in durable tariffs is a necessary condition.)"

Wall Street Blew: It Investors discounted everything Trump has ever said about trade and tariffs. We’re all going to pay for that mistake. - "The U.S., for instance, buys agricultural products and basic manufactured goods from developing countries that don't have a big appetite for Boeing airplanes or Microsoft software. So those countries typically take the dollars they earn and buy U.S. government bonds, knowing that their money will be safe, instead of purchasing American goods. That creates a trade deficit, without anything sinister behind it. But for Trump, any trade deficit means that Americans are being played. And Trump hates few things in this world more than feeling that he's been played."

Trump to sign executive order to help dying U.S. coal industry: The president will direct agencies to boost coal leasing, mining and exports. But these steps are unlikely to usher in a coal renaissance. - "The executive order builds on moves the Trump administration has already taken. The Environmental Protection Agency last month began the process of dismantling restrictions on coal plants’ carbon emissions, mercury pollution and wastewater runoff. The Interior Department approved an expansion of a Montana coal mine, and the Bureau of Land Management is considering an 'emergency' lease to mine coal in North Dakota."

Who will tell Trump he’s naked?: The president’s advisers are falling over themselves trying to excuse tariffmageddon.

In the rain-soaked South, storms portend future ‘generational’ floods: Parts of Tennessee received 15 inches of rain. What happens when the next storm is worse?

MAGA Maoism is spreading through the populist right: A new conservative strain dreams of sending the bourgeoise to work the factories. - "But nostalgia is not a plan. It’s a mirror turned backward. Trump is not bringing back the dignity of work — he’s marketing the image of it. His tariffs won’t rebuild Bethlehem Steel. They won’t revive the coal towns. But they will make life more expensive for working people, while feeding the fantasy that somewhere out there, the old America still waits if you can just hurt the right people to get there."

After a Slow Start, High-Speed Rail Might Finally Arrive in America: True high-speed rail has not yet made it to the U.S., but that will change soon. Here are the projects currently being developed.

Ailing historic tree removed from White House grounds: The tree, known as the Jackson magnolia, was attributed to President Andrew Jackson, officials said.

Gun discharged inside backpack at Va. elementary school, police say: Spotsylvania County authorities said a gun went off while inside a third-grader’s backpack at Lee Hill Elementary School on Monday morning. No one was injured.

Palestinian American teen fatally shot by Israeli troops in West Bank village: American citizen Amer Rabee, 14, was fatally shot in the West Bank village of Turmus Ayya. The mayor said he had been picking green almonds with two friends.

44 percent of DC-area restaurants surveyed say they’re ‘likely to close’ by the end of this year

Reading archive 2024-11-22

Labor unions prepare for battle against Trump’s federal workforce plans: A federal labor leader expects “all kinds of actions that will be punitive to federal employees and their unions,” and promises to “pursue all legal options” against Trump policies.

Bowser unveils new housing development in historic Barry Farm: Two buildings will bring 247 new units of housing to the Barry Farm neighborhood, where a promise to revitalize the community is taking shape.

For Trump inauguration, D.C. residents call for Airbnb blackout: Some residents are encouraging other hosts not to rent or to increase their prices for inauguration weekend.

How a change in rice farming unexpectedly made India’s air so much worse: No one anticipated that an initiative to save groundwater by delaying the annual rice season would aggravate northern India’s already miserable air pollution. - "Some scholars have shown how crop burning releases black carbon, a greenhouse gas even more effective than carbon dioxide at absorbing light and warming the atmosphere. Some scientists, and even the Indian government, have found that black carbon, commonly known as soot, is falling onto the glaciers of the Himalaya Mountains, heating the surface and quickening the melting."

This rare weather phenomenon is happening simultaneously in the Northwest and Northeast: First a bomb cyclone and an atmospheric river. Now a double Fujiwhara effect. What it all means.

Reading archive 2024-10-21

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Reading archive 2024-10-10

This Caribbean nation is preparing for the ravages of climate change by selling citizenship: Dominica is using revenue from its citizenship-by-investment program to fund its ambitious plans to become more resilient against hurricanes in the Caribbean. - [ed. note: it's a corrupt fund and allows Russians, Chinese, Belarusians, and other assorted bad guys to sneak around visa-free]

Inside the bro-ification of Mark Zuckerberg: Meta’s founder is remaking his brand, raising his stock among start-up founders as Silicon Valley shifts to the right

Ex-fraternity leaders receive prison time for Penn State pledge’s death: The sentences in Timothy Piazza’s hazing death follow a trend of fraternity members facing prison time for such incidents. His parents seek federal oversight next.

Opinion Larry Hogan made the wrong choice: The former Maryland governor should have left the Republican Party and run as an independent for Senate. - "Contrary to what a lot of mindless pundits would have you believe, it takes pretty much zero courage to criticize your fellow Republicans when you’re the governor of a state such as Maryland. That’s just rudimentary politics; Hogan actually couldn’t have won two statewide elections any other way. What takes real courage is to break with that party entirely, because you just can’t be in league with these people and still manage to sleep at night."

Trump allies threaten Deloitte contracts after employee shares Vance chats: Republicans are targeting $3 billion in federal contracts after a consultant disclosed messages unconnected to his work. - "Ethics experts said the episode is a potentially ominous preview of how a second Trump administration might use the enormous power the federal government wields over private industry to punish political acts by individual workers. Although federal contracting laws prohibit cutting off a business because of its workers’ private political views, such threats could have a chilling effect, they said."

Earth’s wildlife populations have disappeared at a ‘catastrophic’ rate in the past half-century, new analysis says: The Living Planet Index tracks thousands of vertebrate species globally and found the worst declines were in Latin America and the Caribbean. - "Earth’s wildlife populations have fallen on average by a 'catastrophic' rate of 73 percent in the past half-century, according to a new analysis the World Wildlife Fund released Wednesday.

...

"The worst declines were in Latin America and the Caribbean, with a 95 percent average drop, followed by Africa, 76 percent, and Asia and the Pacific, 60 percent. But the report said that is at least partly because in Europe, Central Asia and North America — whose animal populations declined by more than a third — people living there had already wiped out nature on a wide scale by 1970."

Boris Johnson just published his political memoir. It’s unbelievable.: The former British prime minister’s book “Unleashed” has made minor news. But British readers seem to be viewing it more as entertainment than history. - "In the Times of London, reviewer Tom Peck cautioned, 'The reason Johnson, a biographer of notoriously dubious merit, has turned to autobiography significantly earlier than he would have liked is because his party correctly calculated that the country could no longer believe a word he had to say.'"

How hurricane falsehoods are dividing the Republican Party: As the country digs out, Republicans in storm-battered states appear torn between the need to curb dangerous conspiracy theories and fear of drawing a rebuke from Trump just weeks before the election. - "On Tuesday, Edwards issued a lengthy fact sheet dispelling multiple falsehoods about Helene and FEMA. The fact sheet noted that FEMA 'has NOT diverted disaster response funding to the border or foreign aid,' and that NOAA official Charles Konrad has “confirmed that no one has the technology or ability to geoengineer a hurricane.”"

Ohio voters dismiss false claims about Haitians, but Trump has slight lead, Post poll finds: Key Senate race is essentially tied between Democrat Sherrod Brown and Republican Bernie Moreno. [ed. note: a six-point lead is not slight]

How China is using antisemitic conspiracies to influence down-ballot races: China is increasingly targeting down-ballot races in America, spreading divisive and antisemitic claims about politicians on the social media platform X. - "The Spamouflage accounts analyzed by The Post are increasingly posting about the Israel-Gaza war, and spread divisive and sometimes hateful rhetoric about Jews on X in July and August, furthering the rise in antisemitic content on social media since Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel."

A lost Trump interview comes back to life: The yet-to-be-president holds forth on strength, friendship, dealmaking, public service and building violations.

D.C. audit of police ranks for links to white supremacy nears completion: Officers at the Jan. 6 riot, and a D.C. lieutenant supporting the Proud Boys, led council to call for audit of D.C. police.

What Went Wrong at Blizzard Entertainment

The Most Dramatic Shift in U.S. Public Opinion: The size and speed of the immigration backlash over the past four years are nearly unheard-of.

What I Learned Serving on a January 6 Jury: He’s guilty. So why do I feel so bad after voting to convict? - "The feminist thought did occur to me at this moment that one way to see some of these J6 cases is that the men were out enacting their 1776 fantasy while the women were home putting away the Legos. And there was plenty of evidence of that in this case.

...

"Taylor didn’t explicitly choose his ideals over his family, but that was kind of the end result. Like, he could have pled guilty, which would have probably cut his sentence in half. Or he could have gotten a lawyer, instead of representing himself. But he took none of those roads, and now she had seven years of: Okay. It’s just me.

...

"And this was the beautiful, terrible exchange that brought me to human empathy and then deposited me at a dead end—because the couple had doubled down on their doubts about the election watching Dinesh D’Souza’s movie 2000 Mules, a garbage film full of conspiracies and lies. And that had prompted them to think everything involving the government was rigged, including his trial, which is why he went about it in the weird, self-defeating way he did."

Reading archive 2024-10-02

Fact-checking the VP debate between Vance and Walz: Vance dominated on the falsehood meter, with faulty claims on lost children, the environment, inflation, immigration and the Jan. 6 attack.

JD Vance is Trump 2.0: The senator from Ohio carries all of Trump’s politics and far less of his baggage.

Ukraine’s east buckling under improved Russian tactics, superior firepower: In an arc of villages south of Pokrovsk, including Vuhledar, battlefields that have been stagnant for two and a half years are showing more movement than ever — in Russia’s favor.

Opinion At debate, Vance whines: You weren’t supposed to fact-check me!: Republican vice-presidential nominee brings a Magic Drawing Board to his face-off with Tim Walz.

The Vance-Walz VP debate was overshadowed by war and disaster: Iran’s attack against Israel and the devastation from Hurricane Helene, plus possibly the dockworkers’ strike, risk injecting chaos in the presidential campaign’s final month.

I’m fat. Here’s why I’m not taking a weight loss drug.: For people like me, who have struggled for years with accepting our large bodies, the worship of the new GLP-1 weight loss drugs has been disheartening. [ed. note: damaged people are damaged]

Oct. should feel fall-like in D.C., but a bit warmer and drier than normal: September was a tale of two weather patterns — first cool and dry, then wet and humid. On balance, it ended up near average.

Ex-officer testifies he was afraid when he fatally shot suspected shoplifter: Former Fairfax County police officer Wesley Shifflett has said he believed he saw the man he fatally shot reaching for a weapon. Police did not find one.

Revenge of the Office: Many of America’s corporate executives have had enough of the remote-work experiment.

As rioters stormed Capitol with Pence inside, Trump allegedly said ‘So what?’: In a filing that argues Trump is not immune from prosecution, Jack Smith offered new details of the former president’s alleged efforts to overturn the election.

Trump and his allies are not planning to concede another electoral loss: The former president and his allies are making it clear, repeatedly, that the only outcome they will accept without hesitation is one where he is the victor.

Opinion Vance’s debate performance was a breathtaking exercise in sane-washing: JD Vance showed that he understands how unpopular his ticket’s positions are. - "Vance got some good reviews for being more polished than Walz, but what the friendly assessments were praising was a breathtaking exercise in sane-washing a slew of unpopular right-wing positions. Why did Trump run away from the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 policy wish list, which was prepared by many in his orbit? For the same reason that Vance hedged so much on Tuesday: Hiding the ball is now central to the right’s political strategy."

Vance used past GOP climate inaction to argue for climate inaction: During the vice-presidential debate, Sen. JD Vance presented the right’s new case for not taking climate change seriously — a new case that rests on the old case.

Reading archive 2024-09-23

Tech giants fight plan to make them pay more for electric grid upgrades - "Chief among the power company’s concerns, according to the documents, is what will happen if it invests billions of dollars into new grid infrastructure only for the data centers to leave for greener pastures, or for the AI bubble to burst and the facilities to need much less power than initially projected. If the power company spends big on new infrastructure but the power demand it was built to serve doesn’t materialize, other customers — including business and residential payers — will be stuck with the bill, the utility said."

‘Agatha All Along’ star Kathryn Hahn casts an unforgettable spell: As the witch next door in Disney Plus’s ‘WandaVision’ spinoff, the longtime character actress steps into a role worthy of her charms.

Putin wants Russia’s youth to become ultranationalist patriots. Many are all in.

Opinion The U.S. military’s true advantage against any adversary: It’s the NCOs who set the U.S. military apart from the rest of the world.

GOP senator insults Arab American advocate at hearing on hate crimes: Sen. John Neely Kennedy used a hearing about hate crimes to accuse Arab American Institute Executive Director Maya Berry of supporting terrorists.

Russia expels U.K. diplomats; Putin warns against deep strikes with Western weapons: The Russian president issued his sternest warning to date about the use of Western weapons in Ukraine ahead of a meeting of British and U.S. leaders.

The disaster no major U.S. city is prepared for [ed. note: power outage from storm and then heatwave]

Taliban begins enforcing new draconian laws, and Afghan women despair: Afghan religious police wield new power to enforce a ban on women raising their voices in public and looking at men other than their husbands or relatives. - "Some Afghan women blame the outside world for their vanishing freedoms. 'The silence of the world over the last three years will go down as a dark chapter in history,' said Meena, echoing a widespread sentiment in the country that global attention has moved on from Afghanistan." [ed. note: we fought for them for 20 years]

These birds are almost extinct. A radical idea could save them. - "The sihek’s woes started shortly after World War II. Guam was a key battleground between U.S. and Japanese forces. After the war, residents began spotting invasive brown snakes slithering around the island’s trees, probably stowaways from military aircraft or cargo ships. 

"With no natural predators, the snakes proliferated, gobbling up the island’s small animals. Already, the snake has driven nine of Guam’s native forest birds to extinction."

Opinion Decades later, string theory continues its march toward Einstein’s dream: Why we must keep investigating physics’ most tantalizing theory — even without experimental results.

Cars with the most unpaid DC fines go to this impound lot

A survivor to her rapist: ‘I, too, am in prison’: He kidnapped, assaulted and raped multiple women. As activists try to give him a second chance, victims are speaking up about their rights. - "In that courtroom where Hubbard and her best friend from college faced their attacker — yet again — they were devastated that the man who assaulted and degraded them so violently has a real chance of getting out of prison. They now have to wait for the judge’s decision. 

"They were also gobsmacked at the array of help he had there for him — therapists, psychologists, a crusading attorney, anger-management programs."

Satellite footage suggests Russia ICBM launch test was a disaster: The apparent launch failure raised questions about Russia’s military capabilities and put in a dent in the Kremlin’s nuclear saber-rattling.

With nuclear option unlikely, Putin struggles to defend his red lines: There’s a growing realization in the Kremlin that the West is not falling for its nuclear threats and Putin is searching for new ways to enforce his red lines.

As Taliban starts restricting men, too, some regret not speaking up sooner: Beside imposing severe rules on women, new laws require men to grow fist-length beards and bar them from imitating non-Muslims in appearance or behavior. - "Amir, a resident who lives in eastern Afghanistan, said he supported the Taliban up until the latest restrictions. But he now feels bullied into submission by their morality police."

Where the sea wall ends: At a time of fast-rising seas, the ocean is eating away at this barrier island and others like it. But humans, who have held their ground here for over a century, are planning new condos.

The future of RFK Stadium should be up to D.C. — not a Montana senator: A Montana senator is blocking D.C.’s hopes for developing the RFK Stadium site. What if the roles were reversed? - "Close your eyes for a second. Imagine the role of Daines being played by, say, Phil Mendelson (D), the chairman of the D.C. Council. 

"Would the good senator from Montana take kindly to an elected official from the nation’s capital using political performatives to block, say, an economic development project in Bozeman? It sounds absurd because it is absurd."

Here’s how rich each candidate is compared with the average American: Trump, Harris, Vance and Walz span a wide range of financial circumstances. Here’s where they fit on the spectrum of American wealth.

Reading archive 2024-07-22

Kamala Harris’s first presidential campaign was a failure. Has she changed?: The vice president has learned to communicate better and is facing a much different political landscape, which plays to her strengths, supporters argue.

After Biden’s exit, Zoom led by Black women mobilized 44,000 for Harris: The call, which also raised more than $1.5 million, left women feeling energized and galvanized to support the Vice President’s bid for president.

DNC delegates face unprecedented role of choosing nominee after Biden’s exit: More than 14 million Democratic primary voters cast ballots supporting Biden as the nominee. Now a few thousand of his delegates will pick his replacement, prompting questions about the democratic process.

Trump’s age and health under renewed scrutiny after Biden’s exit: As president, Donald Trump released a report that experts said showed he had heart disease and was obese. But as a candidate, he has refused to release bloodwork results, his weight or other key information.

RFK Jr. sought job in a Trump White House as he weighed endorsing Trump: The independent candidate suggested being given a senior job overseeing a portfolio of health and medical issues, an idea that the Trump campaign rejected. - "Trump and Kennedy’s private effort to cut a deal with each other contrasts with Kennedy’s public opposition to a second term for Trump or President Biden, who on Sunday bowed out of the presidential race and endorsed Vice President Harris."

Opinion Biden flips the script — and Republicans forget their lines: It’s a disoriented GOP that must ask: What now?

What coconut trees and Charli XCX’s ‘Brat’ have to do with Kamala Harris: A Vice President Harris line – “You think you just fell out of a coconut tree?” – is all over social media paired with a Charli XCX “Brat” song this summer.

GOP eyes legal challenges as Harris assumes control of Biden’s war chest: The issue, involving tens of millions of dollars, could get tied up in the Federal Election Commission and then in court.

Most birds avoid hurricanes. This species chases them, scientists say.: A study found that Desertas petrels, rare seabirds that live on a Portuguese island, follow hurricanes for days to search for prey in the Atlantic Ocean.

Venezuela’s presidential election: How to run against an autocrat: Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, trailing challenger Edmundo González in polls, has stepped up repression ahead of what he pledged would be a free and fair election.

Opinion  Hey, corporate greed is gone! Just look at the price of a Big Mac.: Consumer spending data provides an economics lesson, with a side of fries.

Opinion  Are Democrats really going to do this?: Democrats’ rush to Kamala Harris bypasses the question of who has the best chance of beating Trump. [ed. note: Trump apologist]

‘Call Me Baseball’: Carly Rae Jepsen threw postgame party at Nationals Park: Thousands of the pop star’s fans took in a baseball game Friday, blending with a typical Nats crowd for a buoyant summer night at the ballpark.

Melting on Minnesota Avenue: A relentless struggle against record heat: D.C. first responders know well this stretch of Minnesota Avenue between the Deanwood and Anacostia neighborhoods.

A Chinese actor was enslaved in a compound running online scams: The United Nations estimated in a report last August that more than 200,000 people are being forced to work as scammers in Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos.

Netanyahu goes to Washington in the shadow of Middle East disaster: The Israeli prime minister is poised to address Congress with months of trauma and ruin looming behind him, and a murky political future ahead of him.

How can I get healthier hair? Here’s what the science says.: Washing less frequently and using “sulfate-free” products can help protect your scalp microbiome.

Biden dropped out. This is how it happened.: The president had all but made up his mind Saturday night to bow out of the race and endorse Kamala Harris as his successor.

She called 911. The deputy who responded is charged with murdering her.: Prosecutors say an ex-sheriff’s deputy in Illinois, Sean Grayson, shot Sonya Massey, an unarmed Black woman, in the face in her kitchen and failed to render aid.

Reading archive 2024-03-19

Mango adapts as climate change makes fashion less seasonal

Figure skating wants ice princesses. Amber Glenn said, ‘Screw it.’

Your brain needs more rest than you’re giving it. These 9 tips can help.: Brain health is not just about sleep. Here’s how to focus on adding more restful moments into your day

Are all olive oils equally healthy for you? A look at the research.: The benefits of adding just a little bit to your daily diet

The intermittent fasting trend may pose risks to your heart

A fire weather watch is in effect for the D.C. area: What that means: A combination of gusty winds and low humidity on Wednesday will present an elevated risk of fires — especially in open areas

Want to fix the social worker shortage? Start with the licensing exam.: Advocates for change say low pass rates for people of color point to bias in standardized tests. D.C. is weighing changes.

Is your backyard birdhouse a death trap? How to give birds safe shelter.

$500K Sand Dune Designed to Protect Coastal Homes Washes Away in Just 3 Days - "In a drastic attempt to protect their beachfront homes, residents in Salisbury, Massachusetts, invested $500,000 in a sand dune to defend against encroaching tides. After being completed last week, the barrier made from 14,000 tons of sand lasted just 72 hours before it was completely washed away, according to WCVB."

Cannon tells lawyers to weigh if Trump conduct can’t be reviewed by courts: In classified documents case, legal arguments over jury instructions seem to take precedence over numerous other pretrial issues

Fatal shootings in D.C.’s Shaw area recall neighborhood’s violent past: Two men were killed and five people wounded Sunday almost 30 years to the day after a similarly brazen, deadly attack nearby

Reading archive 20024-01-20

Opinion  Conservatives want to unleash the courts. They might regret asking. [ed. note: Chevron deference]

As snow piles up in D.C., residents celebrate, sled and grumble: School closures, work delays, and treacherous roads won’t stop some residents from enjoying this week’s snowfall.

Reading archive 2024-01-13

Which kind of reusable water bottle is best? We asked the experts.: Reusable water bottles can save carbon emissions and avoid plastic waste, but the material they’re made from can affect your health and the environment

DeSantis prepares to go down swinging — at Fox News

Belgorod, in western Russia, hit hard as Ukraine retaliates for airstrikes

How drug traffickers made the Galápagos Islands their gas station: The beloved UNESCO World Heritage site is being pulled into the booming cocaine trade that’s fueling Ecuador’s violence

Civil War talk in presidential contest reveals fresh divisions on race: The conflict that ripped the country apart 160 years ago has resurfaced as a campaign issue

During Storm, New Tunnel Kept 233 Million Gallons Of Sewage Out Of Anacostia River

Metro Budget Proposal Jeopardizes Efforts to Curb Truancy, Advocates Say

Population continues to grow as more people move back into the District

The D.C. Council Is Considering (Another) Massive Crime Bill. Here’s What’s In It

Reading archive 2023-12-07

D.C. announces 24/7 ‘real-time crime center’ to monitor CCTV cameras: Police departments across the region will be part of the effort, which comes as the city is experiencing a rise in homicides and carjackings

Penguin parents sleep for just a few seconds at a time to guard newborns, study shows

D.C. police charge two men in August triple shooting in Adams Morgan: Police on Tuesday arrested Renza Nieem Bryant, 37, and Jalonte Thompkins, 32, and charged them each with three counts of first-degree murder, according to court documents

Opinion  How an Ohio senator’s stunt proves the Trump dictatorship theory

Opinion  Liz Cheney reminds us of the stakes

Why extreme weather is making sugar more expensive around the globe

New research undercuts Republican views of racism: Republicans are more likely to say White people experience racism than Black people. That’s not true.

House censures New York Democrat Jamaal Bowman for pulling fire alarm - "'I find it terribly ironic that we are talking about censuring Mr. Bowman, and yet we never censured any of our colleagues who tried to overturn the election on January 6th,' McGovern said."

Washington Post staffers walk out in biggest labor protest in 48 years: The workers say they will cease work for 24 hours to protest deadlocked contract negotiations and the terms of a buyout offer. Management says it will keep the daily news report going.

Trump ‘dictator’ comment reignites criticism his camp has tried to curb

Reading archive 2023-08-17

Outrage mounts over flood that killed 10 pets at D.C. doggy day care

Awkward Americans see themselves in Ron DeSantis: But do they like what they see?

Trump follows tested ‘counterpuncher’ playbook in face of indictments: Through six decades of investigations, lawsuits, bankruptcies, impeachments and allegations of wrongdoing, Trump has responded with attacks and by taking the battle to the public square

For many home-schoolers, parents are no longer doing the teaching - "'They have no oversight, no taxpayer accountability, no academic or curriculum standards,' said Beth Lewis, director of Save Our Schools Arizona, a public school advocacy group. 'We don’t know what kids are learning.' ...

"She pointed to one of her students who wants to be a judge. 'She wants to learn about the Constitution and government. So why should I say, ‘No, you should learn about ancient Egypt.'' [ed. note: it's called general education, and she's not going to be a judge] ...

"Like many parents, Rose found orchestrating school-from-home for her four children during the pandemic maddening. One of her daughters had undergone open-heart surgery, and she wanted to shield the girl from the coronavirus. The public schools were not requiring masks, which scared her. On the other hand, she also opposed mandatory coronavirus testing in school." [ed. note: trying to have it every which way]

Reading archive 2023-07-20

Seniors are migrating to states that face America’s most extreme heat

Ukraine begins firing U.S.-provided cluster munitions at Russian forces

Opinion  Our democracy is menaced by two dragons. Here’s how to slay them.

Marjorie Taylor Greene’s explicit visuals at Hunter Biden hearing draw rebuke

Five animals that have evolved to cope with wildfires: Animals have long learned to live alongside wildfires, but those coping skills are being tested as Earth enters the Pyrocene