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Ski Resorts Are Stockpiling Snow to Get Through Warm Winters (Maria)

The author writes, “It’s time to check on the snow pile. In mid-August, Marko Mustonen, commercial director of Levi ski resort in northern Finland, logs on to a live webcam view of an elongated heap of snow snaking down a hillside. He shares his screen with me on Zoom so that I too may observe the precious hoard. The snow is neatly covered by thick, white, insulating blankets — and surrounded by grassy green terrain. ‘It’s looking very good,’ Mustonen remarks. … While Mustonen says the snowfall in this part of northern Finland has not changed dramatically, he notes that it could in the coming decades.”

Why Hispanic Voters Have Drifted Toward the GOP (Al)

From the National Catholic Register: “Hispanic voters, the majority of whom are Catholic, have drifted toward Trump and the GOP since his rise to political prominence in 2015. Statistical and anecdotal evidence suggest these voters have become increasingly aligned with Trump’s policy positions on the economy, education, cultural values, and even immigration, including substantial support for Trump’s border-wall project and mass deportations. And while early polling suggests the ascent of Vice President Kamala Harris to the top of the Democratic ticket has blunted Republican momentum with these voters … the GOP’s gains have the potential to play a decisive role in the upcoming election.” 

The Kleptocrats Aren’t Just Stealing Money. They’re Stealing Democracy (DonkeyHotey)

From the Financial Times: “In the years since Trump’s 2016 election, a lot has been written about his autocratic instincts, about his scorn for ethical norms, and about his attempt to retain power after losing the 2020 election. But as illustrated by the story of his real estate company’s reliance on dubious shell companies, Trump was already operating in an alternate ethical universe long before he became president, a world where the rules that most ordinary people live by are easily broken. Inside this domain, anonymously owned companies and funds based in offshore tax havens hide what could be as much as 10 percent of the world’s GDP. This is money earned from organized crime or narcotics operations, stolen from legitimate institutions, or simply hidden, legally, with the aim of avoiding taxation, alimony, or embarrassment. In this world, theft is rewarded.”

Arrest Warrant Issued for Venezuela Opposition Candidate (Sean)

The authors write, “A judge in Venezuela has issued an arrest warrant for Edmundo González, the opposition’s candidate in the country’s recent presidential election. It comes after a request by the public prosecutor’s office, which is loyal to President Nicolás Maduro. Mr. Maduro was declared the winner of July’s election by the country’s electoral council — which is stacked with government loyalists. But the government has yet to publish any evidence to support its claim of victory, while the opposition says their polling data shows Mr. González won easily.”

Why Are So Many Democratic Politicians Appearing on Fox News? (Reader Jim)

The author writes, “Pete Buttigieg, Joe Biden’s transport secretary, introduced himself to Democrats at their convention earlier last month in unusual fashion. ‘I’m Pete Buttigieg and you might recognize me from Fox News,’ he told the crowd in Chicago. The comment drew laughter, but beneath it was a certain truth: in the final two months of the 2024 election, politicians and campaign aides are less siloed in their ideologically aligned media bubbles in an effort to poach potentially persuadable voters.”

College Administrators Spent Summer Break Dreaming Up Ways to Squash Gaza Protests (Laura)

From The Intercept: “School communities are returning to a new academic year after a summer in which Palestinians have seen no shred of respite from Israel’s U.S.-backed eliminationism: constant bombing and forced displacement, a campaign of targeted starvation, purposeful destruction of water supplies, and denial of basic medical care. Instead of fighting against U.S. material support for these conditions, however, university administrators like those at NYU have spent that same summer prefiguring ways to demonize anti-genocide protesters as bigots. Tucked into a document purportedly offering clarification on school policy, the new NYU guidelines introduce an unprecedented expansion of protected classes to include ‘Zionists’ and ‘Zionism.’”

Something’s Poisoning America’s Land. Farmers Fear ‘Forever’ Chemicals (Mili)

The author writes, “For decades, farmers across America have been encouraged by the federal government to spread municipal sewage on millions of acres of farmland as fertilizer. It was rich in nutrients, and it helped keep the sludge out of landfills. But a growing body of research shows that this black sludge, made from the sewage that flows from homes and factories, can contain heavy concentrations of chemicals thought to increase the risk of certain types of cancer and to cause birth defects and developmental delays in children. Known as ‘forever chemicals’ because of their longevity, these toxic contaminants are now being detected, sometimes at high levels, on farmland across the country, including in Texas, Maine, Michigan, New York, and Tennessee.”

Seeing America by Train (Russ)

From The Washington Post: “This summer, I was determined to take a train across the United States. I started in Northern California, and over the course of 80 hours, 12 states and 3,397 miles, I meandered my way alongside deserts, forests, mountains, rivers; through coal plants, suburban backyards, vast cornfields, and the occasional Big American City — and ended in the very Biggest of them all, New York City. This idea was not well-received among most of my friends.”

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