Reading archive 2022-07-31

Vladimir Putin is in thrall to a distinctive brand of Russian fascism: That is why his country is such a threat to Ukraine, the West and his own people

The end of Roe is changing friendships — for better or for worse: Some friends are learning that they don’t see eye to eye on the issue. Can they make it work?

Opinion  I’m a drag queen. Here’s what my art really is.

Opinion  What if the focus on calories and energy balance is simply wrong?

Some Republicans fear party is too extreme on abortion and gay rights: Following the end of Roe v. Wade, many in the GOP have embraced uncompromising positions and loaded rhetoric out of step with mainstream public opinion

Reading archive 2022-07-30

Hot mic captured Gaetz assuring Stone of pardon, discussing Mueller redactions: Congressman told longtime Trump adviser on eve of 2019 trial that he would not ‘do a day’ in prison

The Murdochs and Trump aligned for mutual benefit. That may be changing.

Corruption concerns involving Ukraine are revived as the war with Russia drags on

California secession movement was funded and directed by Russian intelligence agents, US government alleges

Reading archive 2022-07-29

In much of Asia, tiger populations are rebounding: Better camera tracking and a crackdown on poaching have led to higher estimates of the top predator’s abundance

Americans dismayed at end of Roe are less certain they will vote, poll finds: A Washington Post-Schar School poll finds 65 percent of Americans view the Supreme Court’s abortion ruling as a major loss of women’s rights, while 35 percent say it is not

What’s in the Charles Schumer-Joe Manchin Inflation Reduction Act: The package, if smaller than Democrats’ initial ambitions, would transform huge sectors of the U.S. economy and affect millions of Americans

Ukraine could be turning the tide of war again as Russian advances stall

Opinion  Rising GOP anger at Mitch McConnell offers a lesson for Democrats

The consciousness of bees: Experiments indicate that bees have surprisingly rich inner worlds

Opinion  The devastating Chesapeake blue crab collapse - "In 2008, the Maryland and Virginia governors succeeded in having the crab fishery declared a natural disaster by the federal government to shake loose $20 million in federal relief for a disaster created by their own mismanagement. The states then committed to a target of 196 million spawning-age female crabs. But female numbers have fallen from 158 million crabs in 2021 to 97 million, less than half of the agreed-upon target. And yet Maryland still will allow up to 64 bushels of females to be taken on one vessel during certain periods. Recreational crabbers have been forbidden from keeping any females for years."

Reading archive 2022-07-28

This American teacher also sits in a Russian jail, worried nobody cares: Arrested last summer after arriving in Moscow with medical marijuana in his luggage, Marc Fogel has a case that parallels the ordeal of WNBA star Brittney Griner. But his plight has mostly gone unnoticed.

Black women who once hated guns are embracing them as violence rises: While research shows that possessing a gun raises the risk of violent death, some Black women are desperate for a way to feel safer

A ‘magical’ treatment for seniors with dementia: Horse therapy

Democrats race to adopt climate, health deal after Manchin breakthrough

Climate change is killing more elephants than poaching, Kenyan officials say

How local journalists proved a 10-year-old’s abortion wasn’t a hoax: Many doubted the story of a young rape victim who had to cross state lines for an abortion. But journalists on the ground kept reporting.

Opinion  A hero of the Trump right shows his true colors: Whites only

Reading archive 2022-07-27

Philippines scraps Russian helicopter deal - AP

Johnson County school board might ban trans students’ pronouns, choice of bathroom

Human bones, stolen art: Smithsonian tackles its ‘problem’ collections: The Smithsonian’s first update to its collections policy in 20 years proposes ethical returns and shared ownership. But will it bring transformational change? - "'I had to chuckle … that the Smithsonian thinks they’re a leader in this. They are not,' said Tina Marie Osceola, an enrolled member of the Seminole Tribe of Florida and director of its Historic Preservation Office, which has been trying for 11 years to get the Natural History Museum to return the remains of 1,400 ancestors. 'They are the best bad example we have in the country.'"

Justice Dept. investigating Trump’s actions in Jan. 6 criminal probe: People familiar with the probe said investigators are examining the former president’s conversations and have seized phone records of top aides

Opinion  The U.S. is a lot stronger than Russia. We should act like it. - "Does Sullivan really believe that Putin will launch World War III if the United States supplies rockets with a range of about 180 miles but will hold off as long as we’re supplying only rockets with a range of about 50 miles? Or that the provision of HIMARS, NASAMS air-defense systems, 155mm howitzers, Phoenix Ghost drones, Javelins and Stingers isn’t too provocative — but fighter aircraft and tanks would be?"

Doctor in 10-year-old rape victim’s abortion faces AG inquiry, threats - "Rokita and his office have repeatedly questioned whether Bernard reported the procedure to the state, even as records obtained by The Post show that the physician reported the girl’s abortion to the relevant agencies before the legally mandated deadline to do so. The attorney general has continued to cast doubt on the physician, despite Gerson Fuentes, 27, being charged with rape in the child’s case earlier this month."

Manchin says he has reached deal with Democrats on economy, climate bill

Stolen artifacts, some from 400s B.C., returned to Italy from New York

Republicans have a nonsensical argument against the same-sex marriage bill: They’re glossing over a very real threat these protections could face.

Opinion  Most third parties have failed. Here’s why ours won’t. [ed. note: lol]

She was 12 and behind the wheel before a fatal crash. Her family asks why.

Reading archive 2022-07-26

Opinion  If Democrats are losing the working class, it’s not because of the left - "Centrist Democrats from Bill Clinton to Obama championed the neoliberal policies — deregulation, free trade, privatization — that led to this result. What Democrats need isn’t a turn to the right on social issues but a populist agenda on economic issues. They have to be clear that they are willing to tax the rich and invest in rebuilding America, to take on the monopolies — from Big Pharma to Big Oil — that are driving inflation, and that they will empower workers and hold CEOs accountable. And they have to deliver. Biden offered the boldest agenda of any Democrat since Lyndon B. Johnson, but he couldn’t deliver."

Biden poised for big wins in Congress: After a long stretch when his legislative program stalled, Biden and the Democrats appear ready to notch a string of victories.

John Roberts Was Lobbying Kavanaugh to Save Roe. Then the Draft Opinion Leaked: A new report says the leak, which conservatives insist was the work of a rogue liberal, actually helped get Roe overturned

The inside story of how John Roberts failed to save abortion rights - "The May 2 disclosure of the first draft in Dobbs made an already difficult task nearly impossible. It shattered the usual secrecy of negotiations and likely locked in votes, if they were not already solid."

Seaweed helps Maine lobstermen ride the storm of climate change

An 11-year-old driving a car hit a child in Southeast D.C., police say: The 7-year-old victim suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries, according to police

After court ruling, activists push prayer into schools: They say church and state are already too separate

National Guard member sought out extremists, planned attack on police: Francis P. Harker was sentenced to four years and nine months in prison

D.C. police shooting of man at Wharf reignites old debates: Cmdr. Jason Bagshaw had gone hands-on with demonstrators in Washington for years, winning colleagues’ respect but drawing criticism from demonstrators.

Reading archive 2022-07-25

'Parentese' Is Truly a Lingua Franca, Global Study Finds

JD Vance Suggests People in ‘Violent’ Marriages Shouldn’t Get Divorced: The Ohio Republican Senate nominee claimed people “shift spouses like they change their underwear,” and that it had damaged a generation of children.

How ‘ghosting’ is linked to mental health: The term refers to when a person cuts you off from all online communication. Here’s what I learned in my study of 76 college students.

‘The stakes could not be higher’: Kansas abortion vote set for Aug. 2 [ed note: lol the quotes from Rs regarding the lies from the YES camp are mint]

Moldova ‘very worried’ Russia may invade, prime minister says

This Republican embraced gun control. It ended his political career.

Jill Biden raises money for Democrats amid gaffes and popularity drop: The first lady’s popularity has declined, a bad sign just as Democrats need her for a midterms push.

How The Fight To Ban Abortion Is Rooted In The ‘Great Replacement’ Theory - "In fact, according to analysis published in the December edition of the population-research journal “Demography,” a hypothetical total abortion ban would lead to more pregnancy-related deaths among non-Hispanic Black people than among any other racial group."

Yellowstone is this town’s golden ticket. Climate change risks that.