Extra, Extra
Fire Sale: “It was the first mega-fire of California’s new mega-fire era, a flashing red light along the West’s path into a new climate. The Tubbs Fire was also the start of a new kind of economic gentrification, one caused by the increasingly harmful effects of climate change, the higher costs of rebuilding and insuring homes in fire-prone areas, and a housing stock diminished by fire and flooding.” WaPo (Gift Article): Gentrification by Fire.
+ Tox and Bonds: “About 4.5m tons of toxic chemicals are shipped by rail each year and an average of 12,000 rail cars carrying hazardous materials pass through cities and towns each day, according to the US Department of Transportation.” Ohio catastrophe is ‘wake-up call’ to dangers of deadly train derailments. And from CNN: After a train derailment, Ohio residents are living the plot of a movie they helped make.
+ The Saud Squad: “The substantial investments by the Saudis in enterprises that benefited both men came after they cultivated close ties with Mohammed while Trump was in office — helping the crown prince’s standing by scheduling Trump’s first presidential trip to Saudi Arabia, backing him amid numerous international crises and meeting with him repeatedly in D.C. and the kingdom, including on a final trip Kushner took to Saudi Arabia on the eve of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack.” WaPo (Gift Article): After helping prince’s rise, Trump and Kushner benefit from Saudi funds. (We’re so numb to the corruption that even an act this blatant will just pass through the news cycle into nothingness.)
+ The Land of Judicial: “A battle over the future of Israel’s judiciary — perceived by many as a fight for the soul of Israel’s democracy — grew more fraught and fractious on Monday as roughly 100,000 protesters from across the country filled the streets outside Parliament in Jerusalem in one of the biggest-ever demonstrations in the city.” NYT: Netanyahu’s Judicial Overhaul Sparks Huge Protests in Israel.
+ Search Goes On: The current norm is too overwhelming to process, so we search for the unique in the places hit by last week’s quake. Young girl rescued after 178 hours under rubble.
+ Master Minds: In Texas, state education board members push back on proposal to use the phrase ‘involuntary relocation‘ to describe slavery.
+ Nemo Finding: Scientists find that fish can recognize themselves in photos. (They’d be better served if they could recognize a hook…)