Reading archive 2025-01-21

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The push to ‘billionaire-proof’ social media

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

...

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

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

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

Reading archive 2025-01-20

California isn’t the only place where insurers are dropping homeowners: Insurance “nonrenewal” rates also have been climbing in Florida, Louisiana and North Carolina, federal data shows --- all states hit hard by climate change.

Forget ‘they go low, we go high’: This influencer wants Democrats to get mean: Meet Suzanne Lambert, the Arlington-based TikTok influencer going viral by being a “Regina George liberal.”

Pressure builds on RFK Jr. as confirmation hearing remains unscheduled: Trump’s pick to lead HHS is facing 175 questions from Elizabeth Warren, skepticism from Mike Pence and delays related to his disclosure forms.

How ‘Mild Bill’ Burns led a covert CIA campaign in Ukraine: Burns’s steadfast efforts mark a key chapter in his decades-long intelligence duel with Putin.

For this Latino family, voting for Trump was part of preserving their American Dream: But they’re waiting to see whether he keeps his promises.

For Trump’s national security adviser, Afghanistan still looms large: Michael Waltz, a Green Beret lauded for valor in combat, opposed Trump’s 2020 deal with the Taliban as well as Biden’s 2021 pullout. He has warned of the risk of another 9/11.

What the North Koreans took into battle against Ukraine: Weapons and notes left on dead North Korean troops in Russia give Ukraine a glimpse into their mindset — and show how they are quickly adapting to modern war.

Trump readies massive shift in U.S. economy on eve of inauguration: The incoming president and Republican allies are beginning to plot out major changes to federal taxes and spending as they prepare to take control of Washington.

Accidents, not Russian sabotage, behind undersea cable damage, officials say: An emerging consensus among U.S. and European security services holds that accidents were the cause of damage to Baltic seabed energy and communications lines.es to federal taxes and spending as they prepare to take control of Washington. - "Mike Plunkett, a naval expert at security research firm Janes, said that 'aside from a very loud splash, there will also be a lot of noise from the anchor chain paying out through the hawsehole.' He described the chances of three anchor-dropping incidents in the Baltic region since 2023 as 'vanishingly small,' although not zero. But he said it was extremely difficult to prove intentional sabotage."

She waited decades to report her abuse. At 81, police say, he confessed.: For 44 years, she had thought about making the call. When she finally did, she assumed nothing would come of it.

The GOP’s dilemma on Trump’s TikTok flip-flop: The situation previews a series of looming clashes between Trump’s personal interests and lawmakers’ professed principles.

Trump executive order will attempt to end birthright citizenship: The president plans to take at least 10 actions related to the border or immigration, including ramping up deportations and suspending refugee resettlement.

Supreme Court to hear case on opting out of lessons with LGBTQ+ books: Parents in Montgomery County, Maryland, want to be able to opt out of instruction on gender and sexuality that they say goes against their religious convictions.

D.C. police captain alleges he was punished for taking parental leave as a gay man: In a lawsuit, Capt. Paul Hrebenak argues the department treated him differently than colleagues who also took leave.

Scores of career State Dept. diplomats resign before Trump’s inauguration: Trump’s team requested the high-level resignations as the president-elect prepares a sharp break with the Biden administration.

Reading archive 2025-01-17

In Greenland, a cold shoulder for Trump, but curiosity about U.S. ties - "As a self-governing territory of distant Denmark, Greenland has limited self-rule but is also a welfare state. A third of the gross domestic product and half the state budget are supplied by Denmark, about $500 million a year."

Where Biden Turned the Battleship: The outgoing president’s legacy of revived antitrust enforcement won’t be easy to undo.

As L.A. considers rebuilding, here’s what people say they’re willing to change: For those who plan to rebuild, a natural question has emerged: What can be done differently to prevent the sort of destruction that has killed at least 24 people, leveled thousands of structures and inflicted untold billions in damage?

Ukraine hawk removed from House intelligence role, reportedly at Trump’s request: The move by Speaker Mike Johnson provides the latest evidence of a changing posture more favorable to Russia under Donald Trump.

Trump’s soft touch on China and Russia rears its head again: His maneuvers to “save TikTok” and the ouster of the hawkish chairman of the House Intelligence Committee evoke a familiar dynamic. - "'We won young people,' Trump said of the 2024 election. 'And I think that’s a big credit to TikTok. So I’m not opposed to TikTok.'"

Influencers Are Using the Los Angeles Fires to Hawk Wellness Products: Essential oils, detox regimens, and the booming disaster economy.

For L.A.’s homeless population, the fires upend hard-earned stability: Los Angeles County had started to curb homelessness. Will the fires undo it?

How resistance to Trump may look different in his second administration: Inauguration protests are expected to draw fewer people than in 2017, but activists say they are gearing up to oppose the new president with a movement that goes beyond marches.

‘I’m terrified’: TikTok’s looming ban sends creators scrambling: As the clock counts down, creators on the app that changed the online economy are hoping for a miracle. - "Dozens mobilized this week via live-stream 'phone-a-thons,' explaining to audiences of hundreds of thousands on TikTok what would be lost if the popular video app used by roughly 170 million U.S. users disappears." [ed. note: nothing. Nothing would be lost.]

The education of Elon and Vivek: For decades, reformers have laid siege to the bureaucracy and failed. DOGE could be different. - "The initial reaction to DOGE has been largely skeptical. There have been myriad attempts to reform federal spending in the 44 years between Stockman’s endeavor and this one. Each time, like Stockman before them, policymakers have come up against the intractable math: You can’t meaningfully reduce federal deficits without slashing the entitlement programs voters cherish or the military spending that members of Congress covet for their districts."

Lions playoff game puts Tom Brady’s conflict under brighter spotlight: Brady is set to call a postseason game for Fox involving two Lions coordinators who are head coaching candidates for the Raiders, partially owned by Brady.

Gay couples race to the altar before Trump takes office: Panicked about the incoming administration, some LGBTQ couples are rushing to say “I do” before Inauguration Day.

Starting Monday: The Trump administration’s days of blunder: Talk of tattoos, Jesus, enemies lists and a war with California mark the week before inauguration. - "On the same day Bannon spoke about Days of Thunder, I was in a hearing room in the Dirksen Senate Office Building, watching the most extravagantly unqualified nominee I have ever seen. Pete Hegseth makes the closest runner-up, Harriet Miers, George W. Bush’s ill-fated Supreme Court nominee, look like Oliver Wendell Holmes."

D.C. Council bill would allow bottles and cans to be recycled for cash: The bill would add a refundable 10-cent deposit to the price of beverage containers sold in D.C. stores and create a system for people to return empty bottles and cans.

Distinctive Jordan sneakers help ID suspect in Md. Lyft shooting: Brandon Leonard, 21, is accused of fatally shooting 36-year-old Oluwatosin Adetula after requesting a ride on New Year’s Day.

The Case for Letting Malibu Burn: Many of California’s native ecosystems evolved to burn. Modern fire suppression creates fuels that lead to catastrophic fires. So why do people insist on rebuilding in the firebelt? - "'Total fire suppression,' the official policy in the Southern California mountains since 1919, has been a tragic error because it creates enormous stockpiles of fuel. The extreme fires that eventually occur can transform the chemical structure of the soil itself. The volatilization of certain plant chemicals creates a water-repellent layer in the upper soil, and this layer, by preventing percolation, dramatically accelerates subsequent sheet flooding and erosion. A monomaniacal obsession with managing ignition rather than chaparral accumulation simply makes doomsday-like firestorms and the great floods that follow them virtually inevitable." [ed. note: from 1998 with postscript from 2018]

Catching Up with a Guy Who Had His Legs Surgically Lengthened by Three Inches: Checking in with "Alan," who is all healed up after going from 5'6" to 5'9".

‘I’m literally Joan Baez right now’: gen Z women relate to Bob Dylan’s toxic situationship: The film A Complete Unknown has sparked interest in the folk singers’ doomed romance, and with it the realization that a similar dynamic is ‘happening to girls everywhere’

Looting Season in America: The oligarchy blooms. - "This is simply the logic of capitalism at work. The strongman president demands the loyalty of the oligarchs, and the oligarchs in turn are granted the blessing of the state to loot an ever greater share of the nation’s wealth. Why would you assume that America is any different from the many nations around the world that already practice this political method in earnest? This is the system most conducive to the perpetuation of the oligarchs’ interests. They financially support the political revenge and repression that will flow forth from the strongman, and they themselves are insulated from its consequences, and granted license to get as rich as they want, however they want. The arrangement works for both sides. This is gangster capitalism in full flower."

On First Looking into Brand’s Whole Earth Catalog: Are we in the present that the past envisioned… or just the one they invested in?

The Future Of West Coast Wildfire Is Whiplash - "In some cases, fires can also makes soil hydrophobic, so kind of water-repellent, because the heat changes the chemical properties of the soil. So the dry state caused some physical changes in the landscape that led to the mudslides occurring. [It might have] just been a flood and not a mudslide if there hadn't been a wildfire."

Reading archive 2025-01-16

Prosecutors won’t charge D.C. officers in fatal shooting that sparked protests: D.C. police officers shot and killed Justin Robinson in September after finding him unresponsive in a car with a gun on his lap.

CNN’s really, really dumb messages: In an ongoing trial, CNN is coming face to face with its own internal correspondence.

Man kills friend with AR-15 after argument in Maryland basement, police say: Benjamin Dresbach, 21, was charged with second-degree murder after a shooting in Kensington.

Gov. Wes Moore reveals plan for budget cuts, tax changes in Maryland: The governor proposed raising taxes for the state’s wealthiest residents, tax savings for 60 percent of Marylanders and cuts that would affect some vulnerable populations.

Maryland proposes delivery fee to pay for transportation needs: New fees on deliveries and vehicles would help restore some cuts that would have cost the state federal dollars and left roads and transit in disrepair.

Indians lured to Russia are dying on the front lines in Ukraine: The forced recruitment of Indians into the Russian army has been a point of tension between New Delhi and Moscow, even as the countries have expanded ties.

Kash Patel has vowed retribution. As FBI director, he could do it.: While some Republicans have hailed the pick, Donald Trump’s choice of Kash Patel to lead the FBI has raised alarm among many national security veterans. - "Several people familiar with Patel said his comments about the bureau suggest little understanding of how it operates." [ed. note: even I can tell you that]

TikTok’s mommy influencer meltdown: Unvarnished videos about the ugly side of parenting have blown up online. So have accusations of child mistreatment.

Actually, Sarah McBride does have an agenda: The first out trans lawmaker in Congress would rather talk about fixing your credit score. But sure, ask your bathroom question.

Deportation at ‘light speed’: How Trump’s crackdown could unfold - "The relative dearth of ICE officers will be one of the biggest drags on Trump’s deportation ambitions. The agency has about 5,500 officers working on immigration enforcement nationwide, and there’s no quick path to workforce expansion. Hundreds of vacant positions have proved hard to fill, and ICE officials say it takes 18 to 24 months to recruit, vet, train and deploy a new officer."

Biden warns of the rise of a new American ‘oligarchy’: From the White House that he will soon cede to Trump, Biden likens the current crop of tech moguls to the ’robber barons’ of the 19th century.

Biden seeks last-minute moves that could be hard for Trump to undo: From clemency to conservation, the outgoing president pushes to cement his legacy ahead of a successor determined to erase it.

Reading archive 2025-01-15

Attempted carjacking ends in shooting at Chipotle in Bowie, police sa:y Police recovered the vehicle a group of men used to flee the scene but are still searching for the occupants.

D.C.’s sports betting flop ends in $6.5 million settlement, fraud accusations: The attorney general’s office alleges Intralot presented a subcontracting plan with D.C. small businesses to the D.C. Council and lottery officials under false pretenses.

Teen pleads guilty in killing of Lyft driver on Capitol Hill: The 2023 killing of Nasratullah Ahmad Yar, a former U.S. military interpreter, was among the most publicized homicides in a historically deadly year in D.C. - "As part of the plea deal Tuesday, prosecutors with the city’s attorney general’s office agreed not to ask the judge to sentence the teen to more than two years commitment — or not beyond his 18th birthday — with the city’s Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services, also known as DYRS. In addition, prosecutors agreed not to charge the teen with any additional crimes that might have resulted in investigations by their office."

‘A nightmare’: Before NoMa shooting, woman says suspect entered her room Authorities said Tuesday the assailant was 45-year-old Derrick Williams, who lived in the building.

Minister accused of sex abuse landed one high-profile job after another: Jeff Taylor went from the pulpit to the Red Cross to a college nonprofit. Now, his alleged victims are speaking out, and the FBI is investigating.

H5N1: Much More Than You Wanted To Know: Don't give your true love a partridge, turtledoves, or (especially) French hens

Reading archive 2025-01-14

Steve Bannon derides Elon Musk, vowing to limit influence over Trump: His comments reflect an intensifying battle over Musk’s West Wing sway as Trump prepares to take office. - "Bannon told the Italian newspaper that Musk’s ideas are 'really about the implementation of techno-feudalism on a global scale.'"

Bats use storm fronts to ‘surf’ the skies when they migrate, study finds: A new study study sheds light on a little-known phenomenon: the long-distance migration treks of nocturnal bats.

D.C. attorney general sues federal government over Anacostia River pollution: The lawsuit claims that the U.S. government for decades used the Anacostia as a “cost-free toxic dumping ground.”

Teen sentenced to year’s probation in attack on model at McDonald’s: The October assault on the gay model occurred outside a McDonald’s in the 14th and U streets area in Northwest Washington.

How New Orleans failed to protect Bourbon Street from attack, block by block: Major security lapses preceded the vehicular-ramming attack that left 14 dead, according to a Post examination of visual evidence and accounts from witnesses.

15 science-based ways to reduce your risk of dementia: From diet and exercise to protecting against hearing loss and maintaining social connections, there are ways to improve our health and reduce dementia risk, experts say.

On Kansas back roads, I found people who are solving problems: They’re past “What’s the matter with Kansas?” and are finding common ground.

The looming Eurasian menace: As China, Iran, Russia and North Korea lock arms, the U.S. should begin its response preparations. - "The United States also lacks the resources for this new round of rivalry. The U.S. military is designed to defeat only a single enemy in a major conflict. U.S. military spending is nearly as low, as a percentage of gross domestic product, as it has been at any time since World War II. Its defense industrial base is in pitiful shape. Yet as hot wars rage in the Middle East and Europe, and a Sino-American cold war intensifies in the Asia-Pacific, the United States could easily face conflicts in two or more regions simultaneously — or find itself fighting a rival that is receiving help from other adversaries."

Head of the International Court of Justice is named Lebanon's new prime minister: Lebanon’s new president has asked prominent diplomat and jurist Nawaf Salam to form the country’s new government after Salam was named prime minister by a large number of legislators

After economic meltdown and war with Israel, Lebanon's new prime minister vows to rebuild: Lebanon’s prime minister-designate has vowed to rebuild the country following years of economic meltdown and a 14-month war between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group

NATO launches new naval operation in Baltic sea after severed cables: The Baltic Sentry operation comes amid mounting European fears of sabotage after a string of murky disruptions to underwater cables in the sea that borders Russia.

Montgomery County considers plastic-bag ban, doubling tax on paper bags: An inspector general’s report said the county’s current bag policy has been inefficient, leading to millions of dollars in lost revenue. - "Under Stewart’s proposal, those receiving food assistance, including from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Women, Infants, and Children program (WIC), would be excused from paying the paper-bag tax. Stewart said the intent was to mitigate the bill’s impact on lower-income people for whom 10 cents a bag is a heavier burden and for those who often transport groceries home via public transportation." [ed. note: STUPID]

Compass Coffee co-founders split amid claim of misspent covid funds: The former Marines who founded the D.C. chain are mired in acrimony as Harrison Suarez accuses Michael Haft, scion of a business empire, of family racketeering enterprise.

This group says natural gas bans hurt minorities. It has gas industry ties.: The Energy Poverty Awareness Center, which fought climate legislation in Maryland, has ties to a group that is partly funded by oil and gas companies. - "The measure would not have affected the state’s nearly 2.6 million existing housing units. It also would not have restricted other appliances such as gas stoves, which have recently emerged as a flash point in the nation’s culture wars. 

"In his testimony sent to state lawmakers, however, Baxter wrote that the bill could force Black households in Baltimore to spend tens of thousands of dollars on a host of new green technologies."

Elon Musk’s Boring Company Is Tunneling Beneath Las Vegas With Little Oversight

Society is making you sick, GOP says. Too bad their plans will make you sicker.: “Make America Healthy Again” might be a laudable plan — if GOP policies didn’t contradict GOP goals.

The U.S. government runs on Celsius. Just ask anyone on Capitol Hill.: The energy drink is consumed by politicians, journalists and even the speaker of the House, who maintains his own stash.

Kristi Noem, a homeland security chief hopeful, banned in parts of her state: South Dakota’s tribes barred the governor from setting foot on their land after she said drug cartels operate there — an allegation the nations’ leaders deny. - "Brendan Johnson, a former U.S. attorney for South Dakota, said that to suggest that cartels use reservations as operating bases is a fundamental misunderstanding of the economics of the drug trade. 

"Drugs are smuggled across the border to larger cities such as Kansas City, Missouri, Denver and Chicago and then flown into smaller rural communities, he explained in a recent interview. 'These small communities are not lucrative targets for a cartel,' he said. 'It would make no sense for them to set up some sort of business empire on the reservation.'"

I was born liberal. The ‘adults in the room’ still have a lot to learn.: To rebuild liberalism, we’ll need to recover what the word used to mean. - "The old liberal epistemology at least rested on egalitarian and universal premises. We believed that everyone was capable of entering to some degree into the mental worlds and lived experience of others, because all of us, regardless of race, creed, ethnicity or sexual orientation, were rational human creatures. This rationalist universalism disintegrated in the 1980s and 1990s, attacked by a new generation of 'progressive' scholars as masculinist, colonialist, racist and fundamentally condescending. This assault was supposed to awaken us to 'intersectionality'— the interaction of disadvantages — but instead of drawing hurt constituencies together, it fragmented them into highly sectarian and identity-based political groupings that foreclosed on alliances, shared understandings, and common political projects across race, class and gender."

Buy or leave, Starbucks tells nonpaying customers in policy reversal: The new policy states that Starbucks spaces “are for use by our partners and customers” — and warns that violators will be asked to leave.

Jack Smith’s subtle indictment of the Supreme Court: The special counsel’s final Trump-Jan. 6 report breaks little new evidentiary ground but directs plenty of suggestive criticism at the nation’s highest court.

Reading archive 2025-01-13

‘Every Little Thing’: Enchantment That Flaps at 50 Beats a Second: This film by Sally Aitken follows a hummingbird rescue center and the woman who tends to its denizens with immense care.

RFK isn’t big enough for a stadium with NFL-sized parking - "A stadium could fit comfortably in the 100 acres; 15–40 acres is a common football-stadium footprint. The parking the Commanders are likely to demand, however, will gobble up almost all of the rest. The average NFL stadium includes about 20,000–25,000 parking spots, a target of one spot for every three seats for stadiums with a capacity of about 60,000–80,000 seats. 

"And, NFL owners are increasingly demanding high-capacity facilities that can win bids for the big-money, prestige events like the Super Bowl and the World Cup. The NFL, in fact, requires a Super Bowl host have at minimum 35,000 parking spaces nearby, which means that any new stadium is likely going to aim for the high end of the range."

Ukraine has captured two North Korean soldiers in Russia, Zelensky says: The wounded fighters were taken for questioning to Kyiv, authorities said, where they could reveal details of Pyongyang’s cooperation with Moscow.

Zelensky ready to hand North Korea back its captured troops: Zelensky’s announcement came after he posted photos on social media of two men he said were North Korean soldiers captured in Russia’s Kursk region.

Mark Zuckerberg lies about content moderation to Joe Rogan’s face / The head of Meta cracked under Republican pressure. - "The problem wasn’t that the fact-checking was bad; it was that conservatives are more likely to share misinformation and get fact-checked, as some research has shown. That means conservatives are also more likely to be moderated. In this sense, perhaps it wasn’t Facebook’s fact-checking systems that had a liberal bias, but reality."

Why Los Angeles was unprepared for this fire: Several key factors left L.A. exposed to disaster. - "'There’s no urban water system engineered and constructed to combat wildfire,' said Michael McNutt, a spokesman for the Las Virgenes Municipal Water District, which serves 75,000 people in northwest Los Angeles County. The system was intended to supply water to homes and businesses, he said, and to help fire crews defend a large structure or several homes, not multiple neighborhoods at once. 'The tanks were not able to refill fast enough to meet the overwhelming demand from the enormous firefighting response,' he said." [ed. note: sprawl, individuals ignoring mandated 5' defensible clearance, climate change, federal mandate to stop all fires, water system not built to combat multiple fires]

L.A.’s wildfires have leaders fighting on two fronts: Nature and politics: As weather forecasts predict the resumption of dangerous winds this week, the governor, L.A. mayor and others find California under attack from Trump, conservatives and advisers. - "One major point of criticism among conservatives has been funding levels for Los Angeles’s fire department, with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) decrying supposed — but nonexistent — cuts to the firefighting budget as evidence of 'feckless leadership' by Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. Overall funding for the Los Angeles Fire Department increased by $80 million, or 9.1 percent, in the 2024-2025 fiscal year." [ed. note: THEY ARE SO STUPID]

Anita Bryant, pitchwoman who crusaded against gay rights, dies at 84: She became one of the most incendiary cultural warriors of the 1970s and saw her prosperous singing career implode as a result.

Biden administration sanctions Russia’s oil giants and tanker fleet: The White House, now unconcerned about the effect on gas prices and inflation, blacklisted two of Russia’s biggest oil producers and nearly 200 tanker ships.

Republicans, enjoy ineffectual control of Congress while you have it: With Congress ceding so much power to presidents, Trump, not GOP lawmakers, is where the action is.

As Trump prepares to take power, MAGA can’t stop the ugly infighting: A new clash between Stephen K. Bannon and Elon Musk epitomizes the fraught and bellicose confederation that surrounds Donald Trump.

The Great MAGA Schism of 2025 is only getting uglier: War of words between Musk and Bannon shows gap between rhetoric and reality

The U.S. is unprepared for a major war. Can Pete Hegseth fix that?: Trump’s defense secretary pick would face a staggering challenge in readying America for war. - "The problem isn’t that the U.S. military has gone 'woke,' as MAGA partisans such as Hegseth allege. The problem is that America became complacent after the Cold War when it downsized its armed forces and its defense-industrial base. Since then, the United States has prepared a military suitable for fighting insurgents in Afghanistan or Iraq — but utterly inadequate for an extended fight against a major power.

...

"Now it will be up to senators to decide if Hegseth — who was dogged by accusations of mismanagement and misconduct at the two nonprofits he ran — is the right person to rebuild America’s atrophied defense capabilities. The committee members should grill him not only about his past, but also about his plans to address this massive challenge. His record doesn’t inspire confidence that he can rise to a task that would severely test far more experienced executives.