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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.
NASA’s James Webb Telescope Captures Groundbreaking Images of Distant Galaxies (Maria)
The authors write, “The universe’s splendor and breadth are on display like never before, thanks to a new batch of images that NASA released from the James Webb Space Telescope on Tuesday. The images from the new telescope are ‘really gorgeous,’ said NASA’s Jane Rigby, the operations project scientist for the James Webb Space Telescope. ‘That’s something that has been true for every image we’ve gotten with Webb,’ she added. ‘We can’t take blank sky [images]. Everywhere we look, there’s galaxies everywhere.’”
Right-Wing Think Tank Family Research Council Is Now a Church in Eyes of the IRS (Sean)
The author writes, “The FRC, a staunch opponent of abortion and LGBTQ rights, joins a growing list of activist groups seeking church status, which allows organizations to shield themselves from financial scrutiny.”
Cause of Homelessness? It’s Not Drugs or Mental Illness, Researchers Say (DonkeyHotey)
From The San Diego Union-Tribune: “Ask just about anyone for their thoughts on what causes homelessness, and you will likely hear drug addiction, mental illness, alcoholism and poverty. A pair of researchers, however, looked at those issues across the country and found they occur everywhere. What does vary greatly around the country, they found, was the availability of affordable housing.”
Judge Rejects Arizona’s ‘Personhood’ Abortion Law (Reader Steve)
The author writes, “A federal judge has blocked Arizona from using a year-old law requiring state laws to be interpreted to grant ‘personhood’’ rights to an unborn child, at least as it applies to abortion. In a 17-page order, Judge Douglas Rayes said the statute is so vague that even he cannot tell exactly what it means — or how prosecutors might interpret it to bring charges against doctors who perform otherwise legal abortions.”
VIDEO: Former Saudi Official Calls Mohammed bin Salman a ‘Psychopath,’ Says Saudi Crown Prince Fears What He Knows (Reader Jim)
From 60 Minutes: “Much of the world was horrified when Saudi Arabia sent a hit squad to Turkey to murder Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. … The man you are about to meet says a second Saudi assassination team was sent to kill him in Canada. Saad Aljabri was number two in Saudi intelligence and he was among the best friends America had against terrorism. Now Saad is asking America’s help. Truth is hard to triangulate among spies, despots and the Middle East. And as we first reported in October, you’re going to hear that Saad Aljabri may not be spotless. But as a spymaster, Saad says he has one more favor for America — a warning about a prince with the power to trouble the world.”
We Need to Keep Better Track of Monkeypox (Russ)
From Slate: “Nearly 800 cases of monkeypox have been reported in the United States as of July 8, but, because getting a test can be so hard, no one thinks this reflects the full extent of the outbreak. And while most cases so far have been among gay and bisexual men, anyone can get monkeypox through close personal contact. Some fear the virus is going undetected in other groups.”
Dogs Could Be Lowering Crime Levels in Your Neighborhood. Seriously (Mili)
The author writes, “Researchers have discovered another reason to love dogs, and it’s something that’s not so obvious. According to new research, a higher concentration of dog ownership in a neighborhood is linked with lower crime levels. In their own way, dogs are actually helping us to fight crime. Seriously. Not that dogs can take all the credit, mind you. Researchers from Ohio State University think the reason this link exists is because owning a dog means you need to walk it, and dog walking involves getting out and about in your community.”
