Reading archive 2024-05-30

Experts say Israel used U.S.-made bomb in deadly Rafah strike: Weapons experts identified the fragments as an SDB GBU-39, a 250-pound small-diameter precision bomb.

U.S. concerned about Ukraine strikes on Russian nuclear radar stations: Washington conveyed to Kyiv that attacks on Russian early-warning systems could be destabilizing.

As Ukraine stumbles in war, Kyiv and Western powers struggle to coordinate: Infighting and strategic disagreements are clouding Ukraine’s path to regain the battlefield edge. - "'Americans think that they should avoid escalation with Russia by creating zones of ambiguity, but it provokes Russia. Russia needs to have very clear lines. A gray zone is just an invitation to try,' Lytvynenko said."

Ukraine setbacks nudge Biden toward allowing use of U.S. weapons in Russia: Washington’s reassessment of its policy follows the Kremlin’s assault on the city of Kharkiv and a chorus of pressure from European allies.

Opinion What’s the best way to fight viral disinformation? Look to South Florida.: Latinos are using personal credibility to fight online rumors. - "A national survey conducted late last year showed that Hispanics around the country see open borders and immigration as the nation’s No. 1 security threat — over terrorism, access to guns, cyberattacks, war, China or Russia. Eduardo Gamarra, a political scientist at Florida International University who conducted that public polling, says rampant disinformation contributes to the perception in immigrant communities that the next wave of migrants poses dangers that their own wave did not. Meanwhile, online accounts tied to the Kremlin and Russian state media have been actively spreading lies about immigrants in the United States this year in an apparent attempt to undermine public support for aid to Ukraine.

...

"The local influencers began by listening for questions and narratives taking hold in the community. They ranged from how safe it was to get the shingles vaccine to whether President Biden had a body double, from how to get a mammogram if underinsured to whether the 2024 presidential election had been canceled — a notion now circulating among Latinos in swing states thanks to a social media post translated into Spanish featuring the Sandy Hook conspiracy theorist Alex Jones."

Judge stunned as man with suspended license joins Zoom hearing while driving: 'Mr. Harris, are you driving?' asked the bemused judge as Corey Harris asked for time to park his vehicle.

HOW GRIEVANCE SPLINTERED AMERICAN SPORTS: Our games have changed from a unifying bond to a platform for division. Is there any going back? - "The most prominent leagues didn’t become lucrative entertainment giants because they kept the nation’s problems and politics from eating away at them. They succeeded precisely because they swallowed politics whole, turning the public craving for diversion into negotiating tactics to receive government subsidies and influence lawmakers to champion their most ambitious profit-boosting ideas, all under the guise of bringing people together."

MYTH BUSTER: Debunking Road Diet Myths

Reading archive 2024-05-29

If convicted in his hush money trial, here’s what Trump could face next: A guilty verdict for Trump in the New York trial would mean a mix of routine court processing and extraordinary logistical considerations, legal experts say.

Opinion In closing, Trump’s team takes the jurors for idiots: Trump lawyer Todd Blanche treated jurors as if they were deaf or slow. “THAT. IS. A. LIE!” he bellowed at them.

TikTok offered an extraordinary deal. The U.S. government took a pass: The app’s executives proposed giving the Biden administration control over its U.S. operations and a kill switch if things went south. The administration declined, setting up an existential legal fight. - "Some critics of TikTok’s plan label it a 'catch me if you can' proposal that would require the government to sniff out risks. In March, the co-sponsors of the House legislation, Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.) and Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.), who resigned last month, said in a resolution that Project Texas would have allowed the app’s algorithm and source code to 'remain in China under ByteDance’s control' and potentially expose U.S. users to 'malicious code, backdoor vulnerabilities, surreptitious surveillance, and other problematic activities.'"

Lawsuit says American Airlines kicked 8 Black men off plane, citing body odor: Three of the men sued American Airlines in federal court Wednesday morning.

Why a Trump lawyer’s prison reference was so ‘outrageous’: Not only are such arguments generally not allowed, but the judge had explicitly barred them.

Amid roadkill epidemic, California builds world’s largest wildlife bridge: The construction is meant to give threatened animals a path over a 10-lane freeway instead of through it, hopefully extending their lives and their habitat.

Another N.C. beach house just fell into the ocean. Others may follow.: Rising seas and eroding shorelines have now claimed a half-dozen houses in Rodanthe in the past four years.

‘In the name of God’: For decades, Catholic priests, brothers and sisters raped or molested Native American children who were taken from their homes by the U.S. government and forced to live at remote boarding schools, a Post investigation found.

Grocers in D.C. deploy bag bans, receipt scanners in shoplifting battle: Retailers such as Giant, Safeway and Harris Teeter have escalated anti-theft efforts in recent months as businesses nationwide struggle to thwart stealing.

Project 2025 sparks fear of dictatorship and oppression

Reading archive 2024-05-28

“The Only Moral Abortion is My Abortion”: When the Anti-Choice Choose

THE DROWNING SOUTH: A HIDDEN THREAT: Fast-rising seas could swamp septic systems in parts of the South

Mexico City and millions of its residents could run out of water in weeks: The metropolitan area of 22 million gets about a quarter of its water from a system that is running dry. Some say it could be unable to provide water by June 26.

The battle for the patio of College Court

Opinion The media and sullen nonvoters should listen to Ken Burns: The historian knows something about civil war — and moral responsibility in politics.

Opinion Nearly everything Americans believe about the economy is wrong: But it’s not just journalists’ fault.

Louisiana’s coast is sinking. Advocates say the governor is undermining efforts to save it.: A new Republican governor is taking aim at the state’s coastal protection agency.

What’s to become of the keepsakes left at Arlington Cemetery?: Thousands of mementos have been placed on the graves of those lost to America’s post-9/11 wars. The collection needs a new home.

How a simple fix could double the size of the U.S. electricity grid: Rewiring miles of power lines could make space for data centers, AI and a boom in renewables.

D.C. Council chair’s budget proposal further hikes taxes, staves off cuts: D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson (D) said he sought to raise more revenue rather than greenlight the austerity of the mayor’s budget proposal.

Reading archive 2024-05-27

Opinion  What more need Alito do before Durbin gets off the stick? Passivity in the face of Supreme Court corruption is unacceptable.

Debunking misinformation failed. Welcome to ‘pre-bunking’: Election officials around the world are adopting “prebunking” campaigns, as AI and other threats jeopardize voting.

HOW FLORIDA IS GETTING ITS PINK BACK

Trump loudly heckled at Libertarian National Convention: “Maybe you don’t want to win,” Trump said to a loud chorus of boos from the crowd. “Keep getting your 3 percent every four years.”

Service fees have upended D.C. restaurants. Here’s how workers really feel.: The Post spoke to restaurant owners and staff about how the fees have changed their work — and whether they actually help.

The Unlikely Women Fighting for Abortion Rights: The end of Roe has turned women who terminated pregnancies for medical reasons into a political force. - "'All these things we never even knew before, because before all of this it was never spoken about,' said Kimberly Manzano, who flew from Texas for an abortion in New Mexico at 18 weeks after scans showed her fetus was missing limbs, organs and genitalia. 

"Ms. Manzano describes herself and her husband as 'big Christians,' who thought abortion was something 'promiscuous women' did to end unwanted pregnancies. Their pastor assumed they would qualify as a medical exception to Texas’ ban. They did not. 

"'We feel it’s our calling to our child that we lost that we do need to talk about it, to educate people, because I feel that we were so uneducated,' she said."

[ed. note: these stupid fucking bitches]

Reading archive 2024-05-24

Opinion  Trump’s fascist talk is what’s ‘poisoning the blood of our country’: No, Trump isn’t Hitler. But his copycat words lead nowhere good. - "Trump has said that his (false) election fraud claims justify 'the termination of all rules, regulations, and articles, even those found in the Constitution.' He said he wouldn’t be a dictator, 'other than day one,' when he would use absolute power to seal the border and drill for oil. He has proposed that those shoplifting from stores should 'fully expect to be shot.' He said he would round up as many as 20 million illegal immigrants and, perhaps, put them in mass deportation camps, taking money from the military if necessary."

Reading archive 2024-05-23

Grocers are finally lowering prices as consumers pull back: Retailers like Target, Walmart and Aldi have begun rolling back costs in their food aisles and on other household staples.

The flags were redundant: Samuel Alito’s predilections were obvious before the most recent controversy.

Opinion  Take it from conservative national security experts: Trump is unfit - "You think Biden has been insufficiently attentive to Palestinians’ aspirations? Trump has supported the most extreme aspects of the Netanyahu government’s policies. You think Biden pulled out precipitously from Afghanistan? He never considered inviting the Taliban to Camp David or set the date for withdrawal of U.S. troops."

Veterans became eligible for billions. These firms saw a chance to profit.: Despite a federal law that prohibits charging veterans for help in applying for disability benefits, for-profit companies are making millions. - "The overwhelmed veterans agency says the government is all but powerless to stop the practice, particularly since Congress years ago stripped criminal penalties from the law. And now a cadre of mostly Republican lawmakers is pushing to do away with the restrictions altogether, a plan bankrolled by a well-funded industry group led by a former high-ranking Trump administration VA official."

Reading archive 2024-05-22

Heart checkups you should have and those you can probably skip: Some tests have been found to be used far too often, at little benefit.

Oman to expel dozens of ex-Guantánamo detainees: As the Biden administration considers the transfer of Guantánamo detainees to Oman, 28 Yemenis who were taken in years ago say they now are being forced out.

Unsealed motions in Trump’s Fla. case suggest new evidence of possible obstruction: The long-shot motions, which were strongly opposed by prosecutors, claim the indictment should be dismissed because of improper investigatory tactics.

Montana’s real estate bonanza turns political as property taxes soar: The downside of the pandemic-powered boom has gripped state legislatures across the West and is a hot campaign issue in Montana’s gubernatorial race.

A Taliban revenge killing prompts questions, removal of an acclaimed documentary: National Geographic has pulled the Emmy-winning film “Retrograde” from its streaming platforms after criticism from veterans and inquiries from The Washington Post.