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Seasonal Suppression: How Much Winter Has Warmed in Your City (Maria)
The author writes, “Winter is getting warmer nearly nationwide amid climate change, an updated analysis finds. Warmer winters can be a bummer for skiers and snowboarders, affect water supplies tied to snowmelt, and more. From 1970 to 2025, average winter temperatures rose in 98% of the 244 U.S. cities analyzed in a new report from Climate Central, a climate research group. … ‘Since 1970, the average number of warmer-than-normal winter days has increased in 97% of the 244 cities analyzed,’ the report adds.”
Pete Hegseth Should Be Charged With Murder (Dana)
From The Nation: “Pete Hegseth is a murderer. He meets all of the legal qualifications to be a murderer. He should be charged with murder for his role in killing unarmed civilians on boats in the Caribbean. Hegseth claims that the murders are authorized because the United States is ‘at war’ with… drug cartels and ‘narcoterrorists.’ Since September, under Hegseth’s direction, the US military has conducted 21 strikes (that we know of) on boats in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific Ocean. These attacks have killed an estimated 83 civilians. The term ‘civilians’ is important, because these people are not combatants. They are not waging war against the United States.”
10 Years After the Paris Agreement, World Leaders Are Letting Go of Its Most Famous Goal (Laura)
The author writes, “This year’s U.N. climate negotiations crashed out on a hard truth: It’s all about the money.”
How Big Tech Became Part of the State (Sean)
From Jacobin: “Amazon, Meta, and OpenAI wield tremendous influence over our politics, but does this mean we are entering an era of technofeudalism? In a wide-ranging discussion, Evgeny Morozov and Cedric Durand ask how we ought to understand contemporary capitalism.”
‘I Was Hooked’: The Rise of the Intrepid Female Solo Traveler (Russ)
From The Guardian: “Women of all ages, especially older ones, are actively choosing to travel alone. What’s behind the trend?”
You Can Buy the ‘Center of Oregon’ for $20 Million, Complete With Its Own Tourist Attraction (Reader Steve)
From The Oregonian: “Here’s your chance to own the ‘center of Oregon.’ The Bonnieview Ranch, spread across 18,700 acres near Post, Oregon, is now on the market for $20 million. The massive property sits in a remote part of Crook County, about 25 miles southeast of Prineville. It includes three homes, two cabins, a bunkhouse, a 35-acre reservoir and one unlikely tourist attraction: a U.S. Geological Survey marker.”



