Nowhere fast

Once “at risk of extinction” from HIV at the turn of the century, when one in eight infants were born with infections, Botswana has now reduced HIV-positive births to fewer than 100 a year. / The Guardian

See also: “The Trump administration is ignoring a directive from Congress and refusing to fully fund a landmark HIV program that is widely credited with saving millions of lives over the past two decades.” / The New York Times [$]

For the US economy to grow, it needs more new working-age people—that’s a challenge for a country whose immigrant population is shrinking for the first time in 60 years. / NBC News

The IRS has reportedly canceled its layoff plans, and is now seeking to rehire employees who were forced out. / Government Executive

Remembering the 1970s arson wave in New York City and elsewhere, “when it was more profitable for landlords to torch their buildings than rent them out.” / The Baffler

Researchers studying recordings of birdsong find birds’ days have extended by around 50 minutes due to light pollution. / NPR

“Kia Boys will be Flipper Boys by 2026.” Everything you didn’t want to know about a device that can unlock hundreds of car models by replicating their key fobs. / 404 Media

One of the biggest factors holding Americans back from purchasing an EV is that they simply have too much stuff in their garage to fit a charger, according to market research. / Ars Technica

Why EV owners in the US aren’t getting five-minute charging like in China: Their car batteries can handle faster rates, and the electric grid is built to deliver it. / The New York Times [$]

See also: News about China’s construction of coal plants misses the bigger story, which is that construction doesn’t equal actual coal use, and renewables in China are exploding. / Foreign Policy

Individual usage of ChatGPT and other large language models is found to be only a small part of most people’s carbon and energy footprint. / Sustainability by Numbers

How did Matt Stone and Trey Parker become billionaires? By including a small contractual clause entitling them to half of South Park’s digital revenue. / SatPost by Trung Phan

The CEO of Pop Mart, the retailer behind Labubus, became one of the 10 richest people in China this year. / Observer

Watching live sports remains a challenge for fans, who need to navigate a confusing bevy of streaming packages. / The Wall Street Journal [$]

A social media tool available to the world’s top tennis players shielded them from more than 162,000 abusive comments—many from angry gamblers—over the past year. / Al Jazeera, ATP Tour

AI browsers that can handle tasks on behalf of users turn out to be especially gullible, and will happily hand over financial data to scammers. / Engadget

Ever since Rotten Tomatoes was acquired by Fandango, the Tomatometer has included more critics, whose ratings have been steadily rising. / Stat Significant

“If I can refresh Fitzgerald’s literary legacy—one writer-mother helping another—I’d like to.” Jessica Francis Kane wants you to read Penelope Fitgerland, and shows you where to start. / The American Scholar

Reading for pleasure may be down, but explicit “romantasy” novels are up, including on Spotify. Is it all thanks to Harry Potter? / CNN, axios, The New York Times [$]

Jessica Drenk upcycles discarded objects, including paper and pencils, into intricately layered sculptures resembling geologic cross-sections. / Colossal

In the members area, unlocked links from the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal ↓