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.
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New Ocean Census Introduces More Than 800 Fascinating, Never-Before-Seen Sea Creatures to the World (Maria)
The author writes, “Though it covers over 70% of our planet, we know startlingly little about what life is like below the surface of our oceans. In fact, all our favorite marine animals — sharks and dolphins, turtles and rays, those pretty colored fish in our reefs — are either surface or upper sea level dwelling animals. And so, when deep sea creatures are discovered — think the lantern fish that swam near the surface recently, or the iconic photographs of the blobfish — it’s big news. … As the Nippon Foundation-Nekton Ocean Census continues to discover and catalogue new marine life, a recent statement has sparked excitement around the world.”
Things Are Getting Dire in That State Judicial Race the GOP Is Trying to Steal (Sean)
The author writes, “In a cowardly unsigned opinion on Friday, two judges on the North Carolina Court of Appeals ruled in favor of one of their colleagues, Judge Jefferson Griffin, in his quest to overturn an election that he narrowly lost in November. Republican Judges Fred Gore and Hunter Tyson didn’t throw out the 65,000 ballots and declare Griffin the winner, as he had requested. But they are requiring election officials in a few Democratic counties to notify tens of thousands of voters of problems with their ballots or their registration. If the voters fail to fix the issues within 15 days, the ballots they cast in November — in accordance with all the rules in place at the time — will not be counted.”
The View From Here (Russ)
From Air Mail: “The oligarchs are back in town and hunting for swanky real estate, lured by Trump’s laissez-faire attitude toward corruption and money-laundering.”
Justice Department Lawyer Who Argued Deportation Case Is Put on Paid Leave (Al)
The author writes, “A Justice Department attorney who publicly expressed misgivings about the government’s response to the erroneous deportation of a Maryland man to a high-security prison in El Salvador has been put on administrative leave, a DOJ official said Saturday.”
A University, a Rural Town and Their Fight to Survive Trump’s War on Higher Education (Laura)
From ProPublica, Capitol News Illinois, and Slate: “The administration’s research funding and DEI cuts present an existential threat to regional public universities like Southern Illinois University, the economic backbone of the conservative rural region it serves.”
PODCAST: Social Security Don’t Miss (Dana)
From Optimist Economy: “What’s with the persistent narrative of Social Security’s impending doom? Are the baby boomers draining the trust fund? Are Americans living too long? No and no. There are just two of the many misunderstandings people have about what Kathryn will tell you (for hours if you let her) is, truly, the most popular and effective public program in U.S. history. She’s also optimistic that Congress will make necessary reforms just before the trust fund is depleted in 2035. Which is good. Because Robin does want to be able to retire.”
Back to the Future? A New England Professor Shares His Time Travel Theory (Reader Steve)
The author writes, “Ronald Mallett has dedicated a majority of his life to finding a way to travel through time — and while one may assume his passion was spurred by movies like Back to the Future, Mallett’s motivation was a lot more personal. Mallett, professor emeritus at the University of Connecticut, is a theoretical physicist most known for his mathematical theory on how time travel is possible — and shared how he said it can be made a reality.”
