|
Listen To This Story
 |
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.
NYC Nurses Are on Strike, but the Problems They Face Are Seen Nationwide (Maria)
The author writes, “Nurses at two of New York City’s biggest hospitals are on the third day of their strike over contract negotiations. More than 7,000 nurses from Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan and Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx have participated in the walkout this week. They’re demanding not just salary increases, but improved staffing levels. ‘Bosses have pushed us to strike by refusing to seriously consider our proposals to address the desperate crisis of unsafe staffing that harms our patients,’ said the New York State Nurses Association, the union representing the workers.”
4 Deals Kevin McCarthy Made to Become Speaker, Explained (Reader Steve)
The authors write, “Rep. Kevin McCarthy won his 15th bid to become speaker of the House, but only at great cost. To win the votes he needed to secure the gavel, McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) had to agree to a series of House rule changes that weakened the power of his post. On Monday night, the House approved those rules, which will govern how the chamber runs until the next election. Here’s a rundown of the most important concessions McCarthy made — including but not limited to key changes to House rules.”
Surveillance Footage of Tesla Crash on SF’s Bay Bridge Hours After Elon Musk Announces ‘Self-Driving’ Feature (Mili)
From The Intercept: “Highway surveillance footage from Thanksgiving Day shows a Tesla Model S vehicle changing lanes and then abruptly braking in the far-left lane of the San Francisco Bay Bridge, resulting in an eight-vehicle crash. The crash injured nine people, including a 2-year-old child, and blocked traffic on the bridge for over an hour. … The driver told police that he had been using Tesla’s new ‘Full Self-Driving’ feature.”
COVID Drug Paxlovid Was Hailed as a Game-Changer. What Happened? (Gerry)
From Nature: “When clinical trial data for the antiviral drug Paxlovid emerged in late 2021, physicians hailed its astonishing efficacy — a reduction of nearly 90% in the risk of severe COVID-19. But more than a year later, COVID-19 remains a leading cause of death in many countries, and not only in low-income nations where the drug is in short supply. In the United States, for example, hundreds of people still die from COVID-19 each day. Researchers say that the drug’s rollout has been hampered by worries about ‘rebound’ (the mysterious return of symptoms or detectable virus days after a person starts to feel better) and side effects — as well as by declining concern about the risk of COVID-19.”
Hundreds Call for Resignation of Harvard Kennedy School Dean Accused of Blocking Fellowship Over Israel Criticism (DonkeyHotey)
From The Harvard Crimson: “Hundreds of Harvard affiliates called on Harvard Kennedy School Dean Douglas W. Elmendorf to resign on Tuesday following accusations that he denied former Human Rights Watch Executive Director Kenneth Roth a fellowship over his criticism of Israel. Affiliates demanded Elmendorf’s resignation in an open letter addressed to Harvard University President Lawrence S. Bacow, University President-elect Claudine Gay, and Elmendorf. The letter, signed by 360 affiliates and co-sponsored by 19 student organizations as of Tuesday night, comes as Elmendorf faces fierce backlash from free speech and civil rights advocacy organizations for vetoing Roth’s fellowship at HKS’ Carr Center for Human Rights Policy.”
How Can Coral Reefs Deal With Climate Change? Get Better Roommates (Laura)
The author writes, “Time is running out for coral reefs as the climate gets hotter. So scientists are searching the globe for corals that are better at enduring heat. Now, new research shows how those ‘super corals’ can survive: less roommate drama. Reefs depend on a crucial partnership between the corals and the algae that live in the corals’ tissue. The algae make food for the coral using sunlight and in exchange, get a nice spot to live. But when oceans heat up, that relationship goes bad, and the corals kick the algae out. Without their roomies, corals can die, turning a ghostly white, bleached color.”
A Park Ranger Set a Nightstand in a Park. People Filled It With Poetry. (Russ)
The author writes, “In the middle of Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, a park ranger carefully placed a wooden nightstand on the ground. She attached a sign she made: ‘Take a poem, leave a poem.’ Since the nightstand’s debut there last month, amateur poets have filled it with more than 100 handwritten poems.”
