Extra, Extra
Throwing Shade at Trees: “Late Tuesday afternoon, with the subtlety of a wrecking ball and the morality of a foreclosure notice, the Trump administration announced the most devastating attack on the U.S. Forest Service in the agency’s 121-year history. Not a budget cut. Not a policy shift. Not a ‘reorganization.’ An execution.” Trump administration orders dismantling of the U.S. Forest Service.
+ Breaking Badder: “Illicit labs are creating new synthetic drugs at breakneck speed. Dangerous, untested compounds are reaching users long before health agencies know they exist. Older drugs are regularly modified to create novel threats.” NYT: The Fast-Changing Chemistry of New, Dangerous Drugs.
+ Getting the Picture: A set of incredible, and often painful, images. Winners of the 2026 World Press Photo Contest.
+ The Last Emperor: I’ve often argued that if you want to know the truth about climate change, just pay attention to the number crunchers at insurance and re-insurance companies. Or you can pay attention to the penguins. Emperor Penguins Are Now Endangered, a New Assessment Finds.
+ Nerves of Steal “President Trump has championed the U.S. steel industry, promising to strengthen it and to impose stiff tariffs on foreign metals to shield manufacturers from overseas competitors. Yet the White House has secured tens of millions of dollars worth of donated foreign steel for Mr. Trump’s $400 million ballroom project.” NYT (Gift Article): White House Secures Foreign Steel for Ballroom Project. (Relax, it’s just part of a bribe.)
+ Speed Demon: “The overhaul of the immigration courts has been far less visible than the militarized deportation raids that President Trump scaled back after public protest. But the effort has helped reshape a hugely consequential, if little-known, corner of the government that the administration is harnessing to advance its mass-deportation policies.” How Trump Purged Immigration Judges to Speed Up Deportations.
+ A Hot Mess: “A Tennessee county school board voted unanimously Wednesday to censure a member who told a student, ‘God, you’re hot‘ at a public board meeting last week.”
