Ballot Pox: Stealing elections after the vote is so 2020. The new thing is stealing elections before the vote. “Voting in Michigan will be easier for many people this fall than it was four years ago. There will be nine days of early voting. All mail ballots will have prepaid return postage. And every community will have at least one drop box for absentee ballots because of a measure adopted by voters with the support of the state’s top Democrats. Those casting ballots in North Carolina, where Republicans enjoy a veto-proof legislative majority, will see dramatic changes in the opposite direction. For the first time in a presidential election, voters there will have to show an ID. More votes are expected to be thrown out because of new absentee ballot return deadlines. And courts will soon decide whether to allow a law to go into effect that would reshape the state’s elections boards and could result in fewer early-voting sites.” WaPo (Gift Article): New voting laws in swing states could shape 2024 election. I’ve said it once, I’ll say it a thousand times: Vote for people who want you to vote.

+ Alley Oop: “The E.P.A. has classified the two chemicals as likely carcinogens. They are considered a top health concern in an area of Louisiana so dense with petrochemical and refinery plants that it is known as Cancer Alley.” NYT (Gift Article): To Cut Cancer Risks, E.P.A. Limits Pollution From Chemical Plants. “The new regulation is aimed at reducing the risk of cancer for people who live close to plants emitting toxic chemicals.” (Somehow, this will be opposed by some.)

+ The Topic of Cancer: “Adults in the prime of their lives, often otherwise outwardly healthy, are dying of aggressive cancers that appear to develop more quickly and be more deadly than in the past, for reasons that scientists cannot adequately explain. Clinicians have especially been noticing a rise in cancers in the gastrointestinal (GI) system — including colorectal, kidney, and pancreatic cancers — in adults younger than 50, the cutoff for what is usually considered early-onset cancer.” Why are so many young people getting cancer?

+ Living in Another Century: “In a historic decision Tuesday, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled the state must adhere to a 123-year-old penal code provision barring all abortions except in cases when ‘it is necessary to save’ a pregnant person’s life.”

+ Runaway Training: “A judge sentenced the parents of a Michigan school shooter to at least 10 years in prison Tuesday for failing to take steps that could have prevented a ‘runaway train’ — the killing of four students in 2021.”

+ Crime(a) Scene: “Human rights monitors claim that occupation forces engage in torture and prolonged captivity in a sprawling penal network.” Vanity Fair: Russia Runs a Hidden Prison System for Ukrainian Detainees—In Crimea. The world sure focuses a lot more attention on the tactics used by Israel’s military after being attacked by an enemy who still refuses to agree to a ceasefire than to Putin’s ongoing, relentless string of war crimes.

+ Kitchen Table Issue: “In political terms, the contradictions have left Biden in no man’s land—more critical of Israel than its American supporters want, but not critical enough for Democrats and activists who have demanded that he pressure the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to curb the suffering.” Did the killing of World Central Kitchen aid workers tip the scales? Evan Osnos in The New Yorker on one accidental bombing that could change the equation between the US and Israel.

+ Trumpster Fire: “Here’s how high Trump Media’s valuation is: Even if the stock price plunged by 50% each day this week, it would still be valued much more richly than any of its peers.” Why Trump Media stock is subject to extreme turbulence. It’s worthless garbage. Get out before the con man fleeces you. And surprise, surprise, the accounting firm that did the pre-IPO audit (and that no one had ever heard of) has a history of audit deficiency. Seriously, run from this stock.