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.
|
Listen To This Story
 |
Ports Rush To Reopen After First Major US Strike in Decades Is Suspended
The author writes, “Hours after a longshoremen’s union on the East and Gulf Coasts agreed to suspend its strike, major ports rushed to reopen on Friday and get cargo to businesses that have spent the last few days racked with fear over lost sales. The strike, which began on Tuesday and shut down many of the nation’s largest shipping hubs, threatened to weaken the economy weeks ahead of a national election. … The two sides announced late Thursday that they had reached a tentative agreement on wages — a 62% increase over six years — and said they were extending the current contract until mid-January to negotiate other issues.”
Trump Initially Refused To Give California Wildfire Aid Because It’s a Blue State, Ex-Aide Says (Reader Steve)
The authors write, “In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, former President Donald Trump has blasted the Biden administration for its handling of the disaster — going so far as to accuse Democratic leaders of ignoring the needs of Republican storm victims. But a review of Trump’s record by Politico’s E&E News and interviews with two former Trump White House officials show that the former president was flagrantly partisan at times in response to disasters and on at least three occasions hesitated to give disaster aid to areas he considered politically hostile or ordered special treatment for pro-Trump states.”
Raskin, Ocasio-Cortez Demand Answers From Roberts on Alito, Thomas Actions (Reader Jim)
The author writes, “Reps. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) are asking Chief Justice John Roberts to answer a series of questions about his awareness of an upside-down American flag that flew over Justice Samuel Alito’s home. Citing reporting from The New York Times, the letter from the two Democrats on the House Oversight and Accountability Committee asks Roberts why Alito was bumped from drafting an opinion on a case, Fischer v. U.S., that ultimately determined prosecutors had erred in indicting numerous Jan. 6, 2021, defendants on charges related to obstructing an official proceeding.”
Deadly Helene (Dana)
From the Post and Courier: “Helene was the worst storm to slam the Carolinas in a generation. Here’s how it unfolded.”
This Hartford Public High School Grad Can’t Read. Here’s How It Happened. (Laura)
From CT Mirror: “When 19-year-old Aleysha Ortiz told Hartford City Council members in May that the public school system stole her education, she had to memorize her speech. Ortiz, who was a senior at Hartford Public High School at the time, wrote the speech using the talk-to-text function on her phone. She listened to it repeatedly to memorize it. That’s because she was never taught to read or write — despite attending schools in Hartford since she was 6.”
Research in 4 Continents Links Outdoor Air Pollution to Differences in Children’s Brains (Mili)
The author writes, “Outdoor air pollution from power plants, fires and cars continues to degrade human, animal and environmental health around the globe. New research shows that even pollution levels that are below government air-quality standards are associated with differences in children’s brains. A University of California, Davis, research team systematically analyzed 40 empirical studies, the majority of which had found that outdoor air pollution is associated with differences in children’s brains. These differences include volumes of white matter, which is associated with cognitive function, connections throughout the brain and even early markers for Alzheimer’s.”
Mathematicians Prove Hawking Wrong About the Most Extreme Black Holes (Sean)
From Quanta Magazine: “For decades, extremal black holes were considered mathematically impossible. A new proof reveals otherwise.”
