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Green Sea Turtles Have Been Saved From Extinction (Maria)

The author writes, “This is either bad news with a silver lining or ominous good news, depending on how you look at it. After centuries of being hunted, shelled, eaten, and generally destroyed by colonial greed and industrialization, green sea turtles are finally being removed from the endangered species list. Unfortunately, some other animals are being added to it. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the body that curates the Red List of Threatened Species, has upgraded the green sea turtle status from ‘endangered’ to ‘least concern.’ It’s a testament to what humanity can accomplish when it cares to fix a problem.”

ICE Detainees Face Greater Risk From Extreme Heat Than Most Prisoners (Laura)

The authors write, “Detainees at US Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities may be more vulnerable to extreme heat exposure than people housed in federal, state, and county prisons, according to a Washington Post analysis, and this disparity is likely to grow as ICE expands the nation’s immigration system. … Prisoners are especially vulnerable to heat risks given their holding conditions, experts say, and these plans could make the situation worse, because ICE detention centers experience disproportionately high temperatures, according to the Post’s analysis. The facilities endure an average of 29 days of dangerous heat per year — 11 more than other prisons at federal, state, and county levels. The hottest 10 percent of ICE facilities experience an average of 93 days of unhealthy temperatures each year.”

Warsaw Hints at Seizing Putin’s Plane if It Enters Polish Airspace (Sean)

From Anadolu Ajansı: “Poland’s Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said Tuesday that Warsaw could, under international law, seize Russian President Vladimir Putin’s plane if it enters Polish airspace en route to the planned meeting with US President Donald Trump in Budapest. ‘We are unable to guarantee that an independent court will not order the government to detain such a plane in order to bring the suspect to the tribunal in The Hague,’ Sikorski told Radio Rodzina in Warsaw. His remark comes as the Kremlin explores non-EU corridors to Hungary for a Budapest summit and as several EU officials criticize the optics of hosting Putin inside the EU. At the UN in September, Sikorski told Moscow ‘you’ve been warned’ against incursions into NATO airspace. Since March 2023, the ICC has had an arrest warrant out for Putin for the unlawful deportation of Ukrainian children — a war crime.”

Trump’s DEI War Roils Corporate Giants in Cradle of Civil Rights (Reader Jim)

From Bloomberg: “The Trump administration’s crackdown on diversity programs arrived last month for Atlanta’s airport, with a demand to cancel inclusion policies or lose federal funding. Mayor Andre Dickens refused — forfeiting tens of millions of dollars for the world’s busiest aviation hub. But for Dickens, who’s led the city since 2022, it was worth it. Atlanta is, after all, the place that gave rise to the US civil rights movement; the city that promoted itself in the 1960s with the slogan that it was ‘too busy to hate.’”

Indiana University Fires Student Newspaper Adviser Who Refused To Block News Stories (Reader Steve)

The author writes, “Tension between Indiana University and its student newspaper flared this week with the elimination of the outlet’s print editions and the firing of a faculty adviser, who refused an order to keep news stories out of a homecoming edition. Administrators may have been hoping to minimize distractions this homecoming weekend as the school prepares to celebrate a Hoosiers football team with its highest-ever national ranking. Instead, the controversy has entangled the school in questions about censorship and student journalists’ First Amendment rights. Advocates for student media, Indiana Daily Student alumni, and high-profile supporters including billionaire Mark Cuban have blasted the school for stepping on the outlet’s independence.”

Why Ultra-Processed Diets Make You Gain Fat Even Without Extra Calories (Mili)

The author writes, “Men eating ultra-processed foods gained more fat than those eating unprocessed meals, even with equal calories. Their hormone levels shifted in worrying ways, with testosterone falling and pollutants rising. Researchers say the processing itself, not overeating, is to blame.”

See 15 Wondrous Winning Images From the 2025 Wildlife Photographer of the Year Awards (Dana)

From Smithsonian Magazine: “From the minutiae of a mustard-seed-size springtail, to glowing rims of carnivorous plants and expansive drone photographs of Russian swamps, this year’s winners of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year contest highlight the immense diversity in the natural world. Some photos took more than a decade to perfect, while others took just a few seconds, but each photographer captured a striking image that caught the attention of the judges. … Highlighting the realities of nature — including habitat destruction and predation — has been central to the contest’s conservation mission. Since the competition began in 1965, it has rewarded images that reveal the awe-inspiring beauty of animals and those that bring to light threats to wildlife through photojournalism.”