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.
Twitter Board Tells Musk: We Will Not Alter the Deal (Maria)
The author writes, “With Elon Musk waffling on his commitment to buy Twitter for $44 billion, Twitter’s board of directors yesterday said it intends to enforce the merger agreement at the original price. ‘The Board and Mr. Musk agreed to a transaction at $54.20 per share. We believe this agreement is in the best interest of all shareholders. We intend to close the transaction and enforce the merger agreement,’ the Twitter board said in a statement reported by CNN and other media outlets. Twitter on Tuesday also released a preliminary proxy statement laying out reasons shareholders should approve the deal. … As Bloomberg wrote, the merger agreement also ‘includes a specific performance provision that allows Twitter to force Musk to consummate the deal, according to the filing. That could mean that, should the deal end up in court, Twitter might secure an order obligating Musk to complete the merger rather than winning monetary compensation for any violations of it.’”
The Great Replacement Theory Is Just Republican Orthodoxy Now (Sean)
From The New Republic: “One of the most horrific things about the lengthy, vile manifesto posted online by the gunman who murdered 10 people in a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, is just how familiar this script has become. Not so long ago, the ‘great replacement theory’ — a racist conspiracy that posits that Democrats and other elites are bringing nonwhite foreigners into the United States for the purpose of destroying the white race — was a fringe idea, something you would only encounter in the nether reaches of the internet. In recent years, it has become not only a key narrative within the right-wing media ecosystem — from 4-Chan and Breitbart to Fox News — but an idea increasingly embraced by Republican leaders.”
Shareholder: Amazon’s ‘Astronomical’ Misuse of Customer Data Could Ruin Company (Reader Steve)
From The Seattle Times: “Taking a new approach to bringing attention to how Amazon uses individuals’ data, a shareholder is suing Jeff Bezos, Andy Jassy and 17 other Amazon leaders he claims knowingly allowed the company to violate state laws. Amazon has already come under fire for how it uses biometric data, things like fingerprints and facial images. It’s been accused of collecting and using individuals’ images without their consent as well as violating state laws that prohibit companies from profiting off individuals’ biometric data. Usually, legal actions are targeting the company. This time, shareholder Stephen Nelson’s lawsuit is aimed at Amazon’s top decision makers, on behalf of the company itself.”
CDC Expresses Concern About Possibility of Undetected Monkeypox Spread in UK (Sean)
The author writes, “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expressed concern Tuesday about an unusual outbreak of monkeypox in the United Kingdom, suggesting there appears to be at least some undetected transmission of the virus there and warning of the possibility that the outbreak could spread beyond UK borders. ‘We do have a level of concern that this is very different than what we typically think of from monkeypox. And I think we have some concern that there could be spread outside the UK associated with this,’ Jennifer McQuiston, a senior CDC official, told STAT in an interview.”
Tumors Partially Destroyed with Sound Don’t Come Back (Mili)
The author writes, “Noninvasive sound technology developed at the University of Michigan breaks down liver tumors in rats, kills cancer cells, and spurs the immune system to prevent further spread — an advance that could lead to improved cancer outcomes in humans. By destroying only 50 percent to 75 percent of liver tumor volume, the rats’ immune systems were able to clear away the rest, with no evidence of recurrence or metastases in more than 80 percent animals.”
America’s Love Affair with the Lawn Is Getting Messy (Laura)
The author writes, “For generations, the lawn — that neat, green, weed-less carpet of grass — has dominated American yards. It still does. But a surge of gardeners, landscapers, and homeowners worried about the environment now see it as an anachronism, even a threat. … Now, drought, crashing insect populations, and other environmental problems are highlighting — in different ways, in different places — the need for more kinds of plants in spaces large and small.”
The First Tangible Evidence of a Supernova Explosion: Egypt’s Hypatia Stone (Dana)
From Interesting Engineering: “Researchers from the University of Johannesburg and others have revealed some new insights about the Hypatia stone found in Egypt, including its cosmic origins, according to a press release published by the institution on Monday. Their hypothesis about Hypatia’s origin is that it is believed to have come from a massive red giant star that collapsed into a white dwarf star inside a gigantic dust cloud called a nebula. These two stars then created a binary system where the white dwarf star eventually ‘ate’ the other star, further exploding as a supernova type Ia inside the dust cloud.”
