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.
Minorities ‘More at Risk’ of Being Spied on by NYC’s Massive Facial Recognition Surveillance Machine (Maria)
The author writes, “If you’re in New York City today, there’s a very good chance your face will be captured by surveillance cameras and run through facial recognition software. If you’re in a predominantly Black, Asian, or Hispanic community in New York City, that chance is even greater. That’s according to an Amnesty International study, which saw 7,000 volunteers from over 150 countries looking through Google Maps images of 43,400 intersections across New York City, marking each camera they could see. In total, they uncovered 25,000 cameras. Brooklyn was the most heavily populated with cameras across the boroughs, with 9,230, followed by Queens at 7,580.”
Kinzinger Slams Pro-Putin Republicans, ‘Affection for Authoritarianism’ (Reader Jim)
The author writes, “Representative Adam Kinzinger, an Illinois Republican, took aim at fellow members of the GOP who appear to be more supportive of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The US and its Western European allies have increasingly raised alarms that Russia appears to be on the cusp of invading Ukraine — although Moscow has repeatedly downplayed or rejected these concerns. Amid tense diplomacy, Russia has demanded that the NATO alliance commit to never allowing Ukraine to become a member of the organization to ease tensions.”
Idaho Lawmakers Introduce Bill That Would Ban Most Abortions (Reader Steve)
From The Oregonian: “A panel of Idaho lawmakers has introduced a bill that would ban abortions after six weeks of pregnancy — before many people know they are pregnant — by allowing extended family members of the patient to sue any doctor that performs one. The legislation introduced on Friday from Blaine Conzatti, president of the anti-abortion organization Idaho Family Policy Center, is modeled on a similar law in Texas that is the most restrictive in the nation. The US Supreme Court has allowed the Texas law to stay in place, and it is expected to remain that way for the foreseeable future as the legal options for Texas clinics have considerably narrowed. The US Supreme Court is also expected to rule later this year in a case out of Mississippi that could roll back abortion rights nationwide.”
Racist Protest ‘Threatened’ Patient Care, Massachusetts Medical Society Says (Mili)
The author writes, “The Massachusetts Medical Society said it was ‘angered’ over the recent neo-Nazi protest outside Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston that targeted two doctors whose work focuses on health equity. ‘Not only was the demonstration built on a false narrative and dangerous misinformation, but the act also threatened to interfere with delivery of health care, putting patients at risk,’ said Massachusetts Medical Society President Carole Allen, MD, MBA, in a statement released on Thursday.”
China Has Been Conducting Experiments of Dangerous Pathogens With Pakistan Since 2015 (Sean)
From The Economic Times: “A team of coronavirus scientists from Wuhan Institute of Virology in China has been conducting experiments of dangerous pathogens in ‘collaboration’ with Pakistan for five years under the guise of Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), The Klaxon reported. According to the report written by Anthony Klan, Wuhan scientists are believed to have been conducting research into deadly pathogens in Pakistan since 2015, after revelations surfaced last month that China and Pakistan have entered into a secret three-year agreement to expand potential bio-warfare capabilities.”
‘Babushka Battalion’ Ready to Protect Ukraine From Russia (Carina)
From Al Jazeera: “Valentyna Konstantinovska, 79, is ready to take up arms and fight Russian soldiers mano a mano to protect her city if President Vladimir Putin orders an invasion of Ukraine. Having volunteered since conflict broke out in the country in 2014, Konstantinovska and an army of ‘babushkas’, older women, have dug trenches, provided supplies, made nets, offered medical care and even built a lookout tower.”
