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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.
Meta Quieter on Election Misinformation as Midterms Loom (Maria)
The author writes, “Facebook owner Meta is quietly curtailing some of the safeguards designed to thwart voting misinformation or foreign interference in US elections as the November midterm vote approaches. It’s a sharp departure from the social media giant’s multibillion-dollar efforts to enhance the accuracy of posts about US elections and regain trust. … The pivot is raising alarm about Meta’s priorities and about how some might exploit the world’s most popular social media platforms to spread misleading claims, launch fake accounts, and rile up partisan extremists.”
Over 1,000 Election-Worker Threats Reported in Past Year, Official Says (Russ)
The authors write, “The Justice Department has reviewed more than 1,000 hostile threats against election workers over the past year, leading to federal charges in five cases and one conviction, Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite told the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday. Polite, who heads the department’s criminal division, described an increasingly rampant problem across the country, detailing for lawmakers repeated and often graphically violent threats that have targeted election officials in Nevada, Michigan, Arizona and other states.”
‘People Are Beginning to Panic’: Fourth Muslim Man Killed Friday Night (Reader Jim)
From the Albuquerque Journal: “On Friday afternoon, Naeem Hussain attended the funeral service for two Muslim men who were killed in the past two weeks. He joined other mourners afterward, sharing a meal, at the Islamic Center of New Mexico. Then he left. Several hours later, a little before midnight, Naeem Hussain was shot to death in a parking lot of an organization that offers services for refugees and asylum seekers near San Mateo and Copper NE, according to the Islamic Center’s spokesman. His death was the latest in what police suspect is a string of homicides targeting Muslim men based on their race and religion.”
Republicans Block Cap on Insulin Costs for Many Americans From Democratic Deal (DonkeyHotey)
The author writes, “Republican senators on Sunday voted down a cap on the price of insulin in the private market, removing it from Democrats’ sweeping climate and economic package. Democrats had tried to preserve the provision to cap insulin costs at $35 for private insurers, but that vote failed 57-43, with seven Republicans voting with them to keep the insulin cost cap in the bill, three short of what was needed.”
4 Louisville Officers Federally Charged in Breonna Taylor Slaying: What You Should Know (Reader Steve)
From the Louisville Courier Journal: “More than two years after a Louisville Metro Police raid of 26-year-old Breonna Taylor’s apartment resulted in her death, four former or current officers are facing federal prison time, the Department of Justice announced Thursday. Former officers Joshua Jaynes and Brett Hankinson, along with Officer Kelly Ann Goodlett and Sgt. Kyle Meany ― who are now in the process of being terminated ― were indicted by a federal grand jury and arrested Thursday.”
Does Hungary Offer a Glimpse of Our Authoritarian Future? (Sean)
From The New Yorker: “Experts have described [Prime Minister Viktor] Orbán as a new-school despot, a soft autocrat, an anocrat, and a reactionary populist. Kim Lane Scheppele, a professor of international affairs at Princeton, has referred to him as ‘the ultimate twenty-first-century dictator.’ Some prominent American conservatives want nothing to do with him; but more have taken his side, pointing to Hungary as a potential model for America’s future.”
Warm Waters Are Rushing Towards the World’s Largest Ice Sheet, Scientists Warn (Mili)
The author writes, “Warmer waters are flowing towards the East Antarctic ice sheet, according to our alarming new research which reveals a potential new driver of global sea-level rise. The research, published today in Nature Climate Change, shows changing water circulation in the Southern Ocean may be compromising the stability of the East Antarctic ice sheet. The ice sheet, about the size of the United States, is the largest in the world.”
Domestic Cats Have Been Classified as ‘Alien Invasive Species’ in Poland. Some Cat Lovers Are Not Happy. (Dana)
The author writes, “A respected Polish scientific institute has classified domestic cats as an ‘invasive alien species,’ citing the damage they cause to birds and other wildlife. Some cat lovers have reacted emotionally to this … decision and put the key scientist behind it on the defensive. Wojciech Solarz, a biologist at the state-run Polish Academy of Sciences, wasn’t prepared for the disapproving public response when he entered ‘Felis catus,’ the scientific name for the common house cat, into a national database run by the academy’s Institute of Nature Conservation.”
