One Small Mowing Change Could Save Thousands of Insects

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One Small Mowing Change Could Save Thousands of Insects (Maria)

The author writes, “Beneath flowers and blades of grass, thousands of insects and spiders live, feed, reproduce and help keep ecosystems healthy. Many pollinate plants. Others break down organic matter or serve as food for birds and small mammals. Most people never see what happens when a meadow is mowed. A new online tool changes that by turning scientific research into something anyone can understand.”

Americans Are Inundated With Suspected Scams. New Polling Shows Why Few Victims Report Them (Reader Steve)

The author writes, “Most Americans are inundated with scam attempts on a daily basis — and about 3 in 10 have personally lost money or personal information to scams, according to a new AP-NORC survey. … That leaves many Americans feeling like they’re constantly at risk of falling for a scam, often without a sense of recourse. In both surveys, few victims said they reported the scam to the federal government or local law enforcement. Many victims didn’t report the scam, Gallup found, because they didn’t think it would make a difference in getting money back.”

A River Crisis Is Unfolding in the American West (Laura)

From National Geographic: “Back in April, residents of Colorado’s Grand Valley witnessed an unsettling sight, and one that many had not seen before — a nearly dry Colorado River. Levels were so low on the river, which sustains 40 million people along with 5 million acres of farmland and the Southwest’s wildlife, they generated algae blooms and set off low water alarms in utility offices. The timing made it even more distressing. Late April is when the snow starts to melt and the rivers rise. Seeing it drop to a near-record low so early left many to wonder: what, if any, water will be left by August? The Colorado River for more than two decades now as warming temperatures have ramped up across the Southwest. Dwindling snowpack and steady use has widened an existing gap between water supply and demand. But 2026 is putting the river into uncharted territory.”

The Damage Caused by Private Equity Is No Accident (Sean)

From Jacobin: “Of all the schemes devised by the rich and powerful to rip off workers and escape democratic accountability, private equity might be the most brazen and destructive. Born out of the conservative backlash of the 1980s, it was pitched as a way to save moribund Western economies and wrestle capitalism free of the hands of a complacent postwar managerial class. Yet fast forward four decades or so, and these secretive funds hardly live up to their billing as a vanguard of risk-takers who smashed up bloated corporations in the name of creative destruction. They instead operate more like parasites that, having run out of businesses to load with debt, have ended up razing essential services regular people cannot live without, from housing to health care, education, and utilities.”

Here’s Why Weather Forecasts Have Seemed So Inaccurate Lately (Dana)

The author writes, “Is there anything more annoying than leaving the house in shorts and flip flops, only to get caught in an unexpected downpour? The weather report is rarely spot-on, but if forecasts have seemed particularly inaccurate recently, it’s because they have been. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) was among several agencies gutted by the Trump Administration’s Department of Government Efficiency in 2025. That February, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management abruptly fired 880 NOAA employees. Two months later, NOAA approved over 1,000 deferred resignations or buyouts. These sweeping staff cuts forced the National Weather Service (NWS), the forecasting arm of NOAA, to halt or reduce weather balloon launches at 11 locations.”

Who Gets to Claim 1776? (Al)

From The Bulwark: “Most republics fail by 300 years. For the United States to survive another 250, Americans must care about our revolutionary inheritance and what it actually means. This July Fourth offers an opportunity to encourage Americans to see themselves in the revolutionary story, to embrace the founding legacy, and to launch a civic renaissance. We are the only nation in the world based on an idea. There was no roadmap to follow without the shared ethnic, racial, or religious base underpinning other nations. Americans have, from the beginning, debated what the idea means and squabbled over how best to pursue it.”