To pass exemptions for Texas's abortion ban, a new state law—which focuses on how the previous legislation threatens mothers' lives—avoids the word "abortion." / NPR In history and experiments, randomly chosen leaders perform more democratically than elected officials. / The New York Times See also:
Hilary brings historic flooding to Southern California—here are photos and videos of the devastation. It's the first tropical storm to hit the area since 1939. / Axios, Digg, The New York Times See also: Why the US was unprepared for this summer's extreme heat. / POLITICO Russia&
A new, highly mutated Covid variant differs from the latest omicron subvariant by more than 30 amino acid changes—a similar scale to what originally led to omicron. / CNN "It's really difficult to torque up a planet...but relatively simple to change the moment of inertia and
A US appeals court has now ruled that mifepristone should remain on the market, but must be obtained through in-person doctor visits and cannot be mailed. / NPR In a major step toward using animal organs to save people, for over a month a pig's kidney has been
"The timing right now is a little bit funny." With Covid again on the rise, experts weigh in on whether you should get a booster now or wait until fall. / NPR A new report says Earth is facing an "unprecedented water crisis," citing increasing demand and
A Georgia grand jury indicts Donald Trump and 18 others for an alleged racketeering scheme to overturn the state's 2020 election results. / NPR John Dean, White House counsel to former President Richard Nixon, calls the indictment "a very, very impressive document." / The Week Small-scale experiments
Local police raid a Marion County, Kan., newspaper office, seizing computers and reporters' devices, in what appears to be a violation of federal law. / Kansas Reflector Music labels are suing the Internet Archive over its "Great 78 Project," which contains recordings between 1878 and the 1950s. / TorrentFreak
As Hawaii's death toll climbs to 80 people, the state attorney general announces an investigation into decisions that were made before, during, and after the wildfires. / Honolulu Star-Advertiser The WHO says worldwide Covid cases have risen 80% over the past month, but the true number may be
At least 55 people have now died in the Maui wildfires, and more than 1,700 buildings have been destroyed. / The Honolulu Star-Advertiser How a changing environment—with less precipitation and more invasive species—dried out Hawaii's landscape and increased its susceptibility to wildfires. / The New York
Fires on Maui kill at least 36 and destroy historic Lahaina, the Hawaiian kingdom's original seat of power. / The Honolulu Star Advertiser The term "global warming" first appeared in print 48 years ago this week. / History To prepare for future heat waves, cities and architects need
