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Nickel Production Is Notoriously Dirty — Here’s How To Make It Greener: Researchers (Maria)
The author writes, “Researchers have developed a process for refining nickel that they say could dramatically cut its carbon footprint, which is currently equivalent to the total emissions of a small country. Implementing the process on an industrial scale would present some engineering challenges, but the experiment, described in Nature on 30 April1, is a first demonstration of principle. … Nickel is a key ingredient in stainless steel, and its use in lithium-ion batteries is predicted to lead to a doubling in global nickel demand by 2040. But it is also one of the dirtiest metals to process.”
Elon Musk’s DOGE Conflicts of Interest Worth $2.37B, Senate Report Says (Dana)
From The Guardian: “Elon Musk and his companies face at least $2.37bn in legal exposure from federal investigations, litigation and regulatory oversight, according to a new report from Senate Democrats. The report attempts to put a number to Musk’s many conflicts of interest through his work with his so-called ‘department of government efficiency’ (Doge), warning that he may seek to use his influence to avoid legal liability. … Since Donald Trump won re-election last year and Musk took on the role of de facto head of Doge in January, ethics watchdogs and Democratic officials have warned that the Tesla CEO could use his power to oust regulators and quash investigations into his companies. In the role, Musk, the richest man in the world, holds sway over agencies that regulate or contract with his companies. The subcommittee report outlines the extent of Musk’s liabilities, which include potentially facing $1.19bn in fines to Tesla alone.”
Gaza Edges Closer to Famine as Israel’s Total Blockade Nears Its Third Month (DonkeyHotey)
From CNN: “Sitting inside her fly-infested tent in Gaza City, Iman Rajab sifts clumps of flour through a sieve, over and over again. She found the half-bag of flour in a garbage dumpster. It is crawling with pests and shows clear signs of contamination. But it’s still Rajab’s best hope for keeping her six children fed and alive. So she sifts the flour once more to make bread. ‘My kids are vomiting after they eat it. It smells horrible,’ Rajab says of the bread it produces. ‘But what else can I do? What will I feed my children if not this?’ She is one of hundreds of thousands of parents in Gaza struggling to feed their children as the war-torn Palestinian enclave barrels towards full-blown and entirely man-made famine.”
Virologists Issue Urgent Call to Global Action as H5N1 Avian Flu Threat Rises (Sean)
The author writes, “The Global Virus Network (GVN), representing eminent human and animal virologists from 80+ Centers of Excellence and Affiliates in 40+ countries, has published a comprehensive analysis and call-to-action in The Lancet Regional Health—Americas on the North American avian influenza virus, or H5N1, outbreak. The GVN calls on world governments to address the threat of H5N1 avian influenza by enhancing surveillance, implementing biosecurity measures, and preparing for potential human-to-human transmission.”
Swiss Banks Are Back in Style for Rich Americans. Thank Trump (Mili)
From Quartz: “Rich Americans are reportedly flocking to Swiss banks amid Trump’s seesawing economic policies, looking to safeguard their assets overseas. Josh Matthews of Maseco, a company that does wealth management for high-net-worth Americans abroad, told the Financial Times he hasn’t seen this much interest in Swiss banks since the 2008 financial crisis, when banks were failing. He attributed this resurgence to the ‘uncertainty’ of Trump’s presidency.”
Take It Down Act, Addressing Nonconsensual Deepfakes and ‘Revenge Porn,’ Passes. What Is It? (Reader Steve)
The author writes, “Congress has overwhelmingly approved bipartisan legislation to enact stricter penalties for the distribution of non-consensual intimate imagery, sometimes called ‘revenge porn.’ Known as the Take It Down Act, the bill is now headed to President Donald Trump’s desk for his signature. The measure was introduced by Sen. Ted Cruz, a Republican from Texas, and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat from Minnesota, and later gained the support of First Lady Melania Trump. Critics of the bill, which addresses both real and artificial intelligence-generated imagery, say the language is too broad and could lead to censorship and First Amendment issues.”
The Alabama Landline That Keeps Ringing (Laura)
From Oxford American: “If you sit at the James E. Foy Information Desk in the Melton Student Center at Auburn University, answering the phones on a Wednesday night, you might be responsible for answering a question like this: ‘If you died on the operating table and they declared you legally dead and wrote out a death certificate and everything, but then you came back to life, what are the legal ramifications? Do you technically no longer exist? Do you have to be declared undead by a judge?’ A little later, the phone will ring again, and the caller might ask, ‘Who is the most famous person in the world?’ … I spent the better part of two days and nights listening to students answer questions at the Foy desk, where phones have been ringing since 1953, when James E. Foy, Auburn’s then dean of students, opened the line as a resource for students and then as a service to the public. For just as long, students who sit there have been answering any question asked of them.”
