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The Congo Basin Is Earth’s Second-Largest Rainforest. Why Is It Being Neglected? (Maria)

The author writes, “Despite being the second-largest rainforest on Earth — and one of the most vital carbon sinks — the Congo basin remains the rainforest the world forgot, often overlooked when it comes to global climate policy and funding. Spanning six countries across central Africa and home to roughly 130 million people, the basin is often called the ‘lungs of Africa.’ Its vast canopy shelters thousands of rare species.”

One of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre’s Last Survivors, Viola Ford Fletcher, Dies at Age 111 (Reader Steve)

The author writes, “Viola Ford Fletcher, who as one of the last survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre in Oklahoma spent her later years seeking justice for the deadly attack by a white mob on the thriving Black community where she lived as a child, has died. She was 111. Her grandson Ike Howard said Monday that she died surrounded by family at a Tulsa hospital. Sustained by a strong faith, she raised three children, worked as a welder in a shipyard during World War II, and spent decades caring for families as a housekeeper. Tulsa was mourning her loss, said Mayor Monroe Nichols, the first Black leader of Oklahoma’s second-largest city. ‘Mother Fletcher endured more than anyone should, yet she spent her life lighting a path forward with purpose.’ She was 7 years old when the two-day attack began on Tulsa’s Greenwood district on May 31, 1921.”

Both Sides of the Sde Teiman Leak Debate Reflect Israel’s Moral Decay (Siobhán)

From +972 Magazine: “Jewish-Israeli public attention is currently consumed with a scandal surrounding a leaked video of Israeli prison guards raping a Palestinian captive inside the Sde Teiman detention facility last year. Yet, in typical fashion for today’s Israel, the public’s outrage has been directed not at the atrocity itself, but rather at the leak that exposed it. At the center of the affair stands the Israeli army’s top legal official, Military Advocate General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi. Last week, after the government’s attorney general announced an investigation into the leak, Tomer-Yerushalmi was suspended from her position. She resigned two days later, admitting in her resignation letter to having been personally involved in leaking the footage to the media.”

Video: Hear From Woman Who Survived Being Shot Five Times by Border Patrol Agent in Chicago (Mili)

From CNN: “In an exclusive interview, CNN’s Omar Jimenez speaks with Marimar Martinez, a United States citizen who was accused of ramming the vehicle of a Customs and Border Protection agent in Chicago before he shot her several times. A judge dismissed charges against Martinez after a reversal by federal prosecutors in one of the most high-profile cases connected to Operation Midway Blitz in Chicago.”

The Patent Office Is About To Make Bad Patents Untouchable (Sean)

The author writes, “The US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has proposed new rules that would effectively end the public’s ability to challenge improperly granted patents at their source — the Patent Office itself. If these rules take effect, they will hand patent trolls exactly what they’ve been chasing for years: a way to keep bad patents alive and out of reach. People targeted with troll lawsuits will be left with almost no realistic or affordable way to defend themselves.”

The Female Crash Test Dummy Has Been a Long Time Coming — But She Isn’t Here Yet (Dana)

From NPR: “When the Trump administration announced it was giving the green light to the design for a female crash test dummy, it was welcome news to the advocates who have long fought for better female representation in vehicle safety. This dummy has been on a long journey. And she’s not at the end of the road yet. Vehicle safety tests in the US use crash test dummies based on a male body. Advocates say it’s no coincidence that women are more likely to suffer injuries in car crashes than men, even if you control for the severity of the crash and the size of the vehicle. Calls for an accurate female crash test dummy date back decades. Consumer Reports has traced them back to 1980.”

The Time Calvin Coolidge’s Pet Raccoon Was Meant to Be Thanksgiving Dinner (Laura)

From Mental Floss: “It has become tradition for the president of the United States to pardon a turkey before Thanksgiving symbolically. But Calvin Coolidge took the additional step of pardoning a raccoon and making her a family pet. Yes, a raccoon.”