Scientists Ponder New Climate Defense Tactic: Throwing Shade at El Niño

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Scientists Ponder New Climate Defense Tactic: Throwing Shade at El Niño (Maria)

The author writes, “This year’s El Niño is shaping up to be among the strongest on record, and it’s set to create chaotic weather around the world. A new study suggests that there could be a way to mitigate some of the impacts of future El Niños and global warming: dimming the sun. … The new study suggests that deflecting solar energy could cool the ocean and help moderate El Niño events before they become too strong.”

How Section 219, the US-Israel Military Merger, Would Thwart American Democracy (Dana)

From Common Dreams: “It’s called Section 219. Tucked away in the massive congressional spending bill known as the National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, this provision of the law would effectively require our nation to permanently entangle the American military with the Israeli military. Among other things, the United States-Israel Defense Technology Cooperation Initiative would require the US to share intelligence with Israel and establish a system of weapons research, development, and production, particularly in the domains crucial to warfare in the modern age: artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, and various other fields of high defense technology.”

What Will Define Elon Musk’s Legacy? DOGE Cuts to USAID Ebola Programs (Sean)

The author writes, “Elon Musk has an Ebola problem. SpaceX stock dropped precipitously after its initial public offering, and Tesla faces a wave of lawsuits. But instead of focusing on his companies, Musk has posted frequently on X about the US Agency for International Development (USAID), which he helped dismantle — or, in his words, feed into the woodchipper — last year. … Musk’s cuts, through the short-lived US ‘department of government efficiency’ (DOGE), have come under renewed scrutiny during the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Last year, Musk admitted to ‘accidentally’ cutting Ebola detection and response programs.” 

Trump Has Already Launched More Death Penalty Prosecutions Than in His Entire First Term (Laura)

From The Intercept: “Less than halfway through Trump’s second term, the U.S. Department of Justice has authorized a rash of new death penalty prosecutions, already surpassing the total number of capital cases brought during Trump’s previous four years in office. Since Trump returned to the White House, DOJ prosecutors have moved to seek the death penalty against at least 42 defendants in 34 cases, according to figures compiled by The Intercept, based on legal records and data from the Justice Department and Federal Capital Trial Project.” 

Solar-Powered Tricycles Help Cubans Navigate Fuel Shortages and Blackouts (Reader Steve)

From the Associated Press: “Cuba’s iconic vintage cars have all but disappeared and in their place, small electric tricycles — most of them made in China — have become the primary means of transportation for hundreds of thousands of Cubans grappling with a prolonged fuel crisis. These are no ordinary electric tricycles — many Cubans have outfitted them with solar panels, allowing the vehicles to recharge without relying on the island nation’s strained power grid.”

Scientists Stunned as Bumble Bees Solve a Classic Intelligence Test (Mili)

The author writes, “Bumble bees astonished researchers by inventing a new way to reach a hidden reward, despite never being taught the trick. The discovery adds to growing evidence that these tiny insects are far smarter and more adaptable than once believed.”