PICKS are stories from many sources, selected by our editors or recommended by our readers because they are important, surprising, troubling, enlightening, inspiring, or amusing. They appear on our site and in our daily newsletter. Please send suggested articles, videos, podcasts, etc. to picks@whowhatwhy.org.
|
Listen To This Story
 |
2,000 Women Win ‘Biggest Victory Possible’ in Landmark Climate Case (Maria)
The author writes, “More than 2,000 older Swiss women have won a landmark European case proving that government climate inaction violates human rights. The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled Tuesday that Switzerland had not acted urgently to achieve climate targets, leading victims, who are mostly in their 70s, to suffer physically and emotionally while potentially placed at risk of dying. The women, part of a group called KlimaSeniorinnen (Senior Women for Climate Protection), filed the lawsuit nine years ago. They presented medical documents and scientific evidence that older women are more vulnerable to climate impacts, arguing that ‘their health and daily routines were affected’ by Swiss heatwaves connected to climate change.”
Evicted, Arrested and Being Sued by the Boss: When Will MAGA Learn Loyalty to Trump Ends in Sorrow? (Reader Jim)
From Salon: “It is repulsively true that Trump wriggles out of consequences for his crimes time and time again. But that is because he is a master at finding someone else to take the fall for him, from the January 6 defendants to his former lawyer Michael Cohen to Fox News and Rudy Giuliani.”
House GOP Lawmakers Introduce Bill To Rename Dulles Airport After Donald Trump (Dana)
The authors write, “A group of House Republicans has introduced legislation to rename Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia after former President Donald Trump. The bill, filed Friday, is sponsored by Rep. Guy Reschenthaler, R-Pa., the chief deputy majority whip, and is co-sponsored by six other Republicans: Reps. Michael Waltz, of Florida; Andrew Ogles, of Tennessee; Chuck Fleischmann, of Tennessee; Paul Gosar, of Arizona; Barry Moore, of Alabama; and Troy Nehls, of Texas. The measure says it would ‘designate the Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia as the “Donald J. Trump International Airport.”’”
Biden Administration Will Lend $1.5B To Restart Michigan Nuclear Power Plant, a First in the US (Laura)
From AP News: “The federal government will provide a $1.5 billion loan to restart a nuclear power plant in southwestern Michigan, officials announced [in March]. Holtec International acquired the 800-megawatt Palisades plant in 2022 with plans to dismantle it. But now the emphasis is on restarting it by late 2025, following support from the state of Michigan and the Biden administration. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said it would be the first nuclear power plant to be reopened in the U.S. It still faces hurdles, including inspections, testing, and the blessing of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, known as the NRC. ‘Nuclear power is our single largest source of carbon-free electricity, directly supporting 100,000 jobs across the country and hundreds of thousands more indirectly,’ said Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm.”
This Prickly New Material Literally Pops Viruses, With Up to 96% Success (Sean)
From ScienceAlert: “A newly developed silicon material covered with tiny nanospikes is capable of taking out 96 percent of the virus particles unfortunate enough to touch its surface in tests. It could find a use in hospitals, science labs, and anywhere surfaces need to be as sterile as possible. The nanospikes literally skewer virus particles as they make contact, according to the team behind the study, led by researchers from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) University in Australia. This action breaks the viruses apart or damages them enough to stop them from reproducing. It’s somewhat like puncturing a balloon, with almost all viral activity on the surface wiped out in six hours.”
FROM 2023: 28 Years Reading 1 Book, and No One Knows What It’s About (Al)
The author writes, “Last Tuesday evening, about a dozen people gathered on Zoom for an unusual book club: For nearly three decades, it’s been exclusively devoted to reading a single text, out loud, page by page. The group is studying Finnegans Wake, the notoriously difficult-to-read novel by the Irish writer James Joyce. In October, after 28 years, the group finally reached the final page. So last week, they looped back to the beginning to keep going. ‘I thought, well, it’s the only way I’m going to read Finnegans Wake,’ says Venice resident Gerry Fialka, who founded the club in 1995.”
