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.
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‘Tumblemageddon’: Thousands of Tumbleweeds Roll Into Utah Towns After Storm (Maria)
The author writes, “Towns in Utah have been inundated with tumbleweeds that have blocked roads, surrounded houses and buried cars after a strong storm. South Jordan, which lies south of state capital Salt Lake City, is cleaning up after winds blew thousands of the plants through streets. The weeds formed piles up to three meters high (10 feet), in some places. Similar scenes unfolded in Eagle Mountain, further to the south. … ‘We’ve had a few tumbleweeds. but nothing like this,’ local resident John Young told KSL TV. ‘It’s absolutely crazy.’”
Biden Can Still Win — If He Runs Like Harry Truman (Al)
From Politico: “‘The subject everyone is talking about,’ a liberal, big city mayor wrote not long ago, is: ‘How can we peacefully get rid of the present incumbent?’ Unless Democrats could agree on a replacement at the top of the ticket, they seemed sure to lose the upcoming presidential and congressional elections. OK, actually, the year was 1948. The mayor was Hubert Humphrey of Minneapolis, and the incumbent president in question was Harry Truman — not Joe Biden. The comparison is apt, nevertheless.”
The Truth About Illegal Immigration and Crime (Gerry)
The author writes, “Donald Trump’s presidential campaign moved quickly to tie the killing of a Georgia nursing student, allegedly by a Venezuelan migrant who entered the country illegally in 2022, to the surge of undocumented immigrants at the southern border under the Biden administration. … Nevermind that violent crime rates, especially for homicide in large cities, have fallen sharply during Biden’s presidency, after a surge during the pandemic. Trump, as he often did during his presidency, is using anecdotal evidence to make an emotional case against undocumented immigrants.”
Alabama IVF Ruling Puts Spotlight on Fetal Personhood Rights (Dana)
From State Court Report: “In LePage, the Alabama court ruled that the state’s wrongful death statute, which provides a basis for parents of a child who has died to recover punitive damages in civil litigation, applies to ‘extrauterine children.’ The plaintiffs were IVF patients who had left frozen embryos in the care of a fertility clinic. When a hospital patient wandered into the clinic’s cryogenic nursery and destroyed the embryos, the patients sued under several legal theories, including wrongful death. Notably, the Alabama court wasn’t starting with a blank slate — it had been developing fetal personhood rights under state law even when Roe was still on the books.”
The Rising Cost of the Oil Industry’s Slow Death (Laura)
From ProPublica and Capital & Main: “Unplugged oil and gas wells accelerate climate change, threaten public health and risk hitting taxpayers’ pocketbooks. ProPublica and Capital & Main found that the money set aside to fix the problem falls woefully short of the impending cost.”
‘We Don’t Need Air Con’: How Burkina Faso Builds Schools That Stay Cool in 40 C Heat (Reader Jim)
The author writes, “If architects are people who like to think their way around challenges, building schools in Burkina Faso must be the dream job. The challenges, after all, are legion: scorching temperatures in the high seasons, limited funds, materials, electricity and water, and clients who are vulnerable and young. How do you keep a building cool under a baking sun when there is no air conditioning?”
Star Dune: Scientists Solve Mystery Behind Earth’s Largest Desert Sands (Mili)
The author writes, “The age of one of Earth’s largest and most complex types of sand dune has been calculated for the first time. Star dunes — or pyramid dunes — are named after their distinctive shapes and reach hundreds of meters in height. They are found in Africa, Asia and North America, as well as on Mars — but experts had never before been able to put a date on when they were formed. Now scientists have discovered that a dune called Lala Lallia in Morocco formed 13,000 years ago.”
From Our Archives
Study Destroys Myth of Uneducated Immigrants
June 5, 2019: “America’s newest arrivals bring degrees, job skills, and fluency in English, a new study shows.”
