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‘Tiny Melodies’: Musician Uses Moth Flight Data to Compose Piece Warning About Their Decline (Maria)

The author writes, “They are vital pollinators who come out at night, but now moths have emerged into the bright light of day as co-creators of a new piece of music — composed using their flight data. Ellie Wilson composed ‘Moth x Human’ in a protected habitat on Parsonage Down in Salisbury, Wiltshire [U.K.]. Moth populations are experiencing steep declines globally due to habitat loss, pesticides and the climate crisis. This has a knock-on effect because moths are an important food source for bats, owls and birds.”

It’s Not Just a Constitutional Crisis in the Trump Era. It’s Constitutional Failure (Dana)

From Washington Monthly: “The idea that the United States awaits some dread constitutional crisis has become commonplace. For lawyers, such a crisis would likely involve Donald Trump’s administration defying the Supreme Court on some critical ruling. But other crises are readily imaginable. Might President Trump invoke the Militia Act to manipulate the 2026 congressional elections, or order the Marines to take sites in Greenland without congressional approval, which seems ever more plausible after the June 22 bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities? Such scenarios are not unfounded, but they do not diagnose our true malady. Our ongoing constitutional crisis began with the presidential election last November 5. Reelecting an individual culpable for January 6 who has twice made a mockery of the presidential oath of office is itself a constitutional crisis. Nothing in his past or current behavior suggests that Trump has ever felt fidelity to his constitutional duties.”

Leaked Chats Show Pro-Israel Extremist Group Betar Organizing Street Confrontations (Sean)

From Drop Site News: “Far-right activists, including members of Betar — a pro-Israel extremist group known for racist violence — have been running a constellation of WhatsApp group chats to plan counterprotests against pro-Palestine demonstrations and commit potential hate crimes against Muslims in New York City. The chats, shared with Drop Site by an anonymous member added to the groups by an organizer, illustrate a network of pro-Israel agitators coordinating street confrontations and provocations in New York City. The chat logs show its members, including individuals publicly affiliated with Betar US, discussing a range of plans and ideas: to protest at mosques, burn Qurans to provoke confrontations, and coordinate buying pepper spray, lasers, and other illicit devices to confront pro-Palestine protests in New York City.”

Zohran Mamdani Better Get Ready To Fight The NYPD (DonkeyHotey)

The author writes, “Every real New Yorker knows that those who truly wield power in this city are the oligarchs and the New York Police Department. Sometimes they’re the same person, like the billionaire heiress Jessica Tisch, the current NYPD Commissioner. In Zohran Mamdani, they see their worst nightmare: a serious challenge to their power, fueled by a mobilized people’s movement. The morning after Zohran took down Andrew Cuomo and Wall Street began its crashout, I started thinking about how he’s going to be in a constant struggle for power with the police. Do not think for a second that there is a vote total large enough to deter the NYPD from undermining a Mamdani mayoralty.”

Ottawa ‘Urgently Seeking More Information’ About Death of Canadian Citizen in ICE Custody (Laura)

From The Guardian: “Authorities in Canada are seeking information about the death of a 49-year-old Canadian man who died while in US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody in Florida [last] week. In a statement, ICE, part of the Department of Homeland Security, said Johnny Noviello, 49, died on 23 June after being found unresponsive at a federal detention center in Miami, where he was being detained ‘pending removal proceedings’ from the US. … Noviello, who first entered the US in 1988 with a legal visa status and became a permanent resident (green card holder) three years later, was taken into ICE custody on 15 May. He was convicted of multiple drug charges, including racketeering and drug trafficking in Volusia County, Florida, and sentenced to 12 months in prison in 2023.”

Hear the Different Ways EVs Are Reinventing the Sound of a Car (Russ)

The authors write, “Electric vehicle engines are almost silent. They’re so quiet, automakers have to add sounds to warn pedestrians and cyclists that EVs are approaching. To avoid collisions, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says an EV should be audible from 16 feet away or more, depending on its speed. Imagine an EV is coming down the street. When do you hear it?”

These Orcas Have Been Trying To Feed People, New Research Shows (Reader Steve)

From The Seattle Times: “Wild orcas on more than 30 occasions in four oceans have attempted to share their prey with people, potentially to develop relationships with humans, researchers have found. In each of the instances recorded over two decades, orcas approached a person within a length of the orca’s body, and dropped freshly-hunted prey in front of the human, then waited for a response. … Orcas are the ocean’s top predator, and their brains are second only to modern humans in terms of their size in relation to their body. Their capacity for advanced communications and cognitive, social and emotional intelligence is well known. Prey sharing is common in orca culture. So just what are the orcas doing, offering food to people?”