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.
|
Listen To This Story
 |
US Approves First Tribal Marine Sanctuary (Maria)
The author writes, “After years of campaigning by Indigenous Americans in central California, the US has finally approved the country’s first Indigenous-nominated national marine sanctuary, a 4,543-square-mile expanse of ocean that will protect marine life from mining and oil drilling. The Chumash Heritage national marine sanctuary — which will be nearly four times the size of Yosemite national park — will stretch along 116 miles of the California coastline that supports a number of at-risk species, including southern sea otters, abalone and blue whales.”
Elon Musk’s Fake Sites and Fake Texts Impersonating the Harris Campaign (DonkeyHotey)
From Talking Points Memo: “There’s deeply cynical and then there’s things which might be illegal. In the first category we have an Elon Musk-funded PAC microtargeting Jewish and Arab communities with diametrically opposed ads about Kamala Harris’s support for Israel or Palestine. Amazingly cynical. But then you have what I’m going to describe next, which comes from another Musk-funded dark money operation. They have set up fake sites impersonating the Harris campaign using fake policy positions and then sending out text messages also impersonating the campaign which aim to drive voters to the fake site.”
Trump Allies Spending Millions To Dissuade Voters in Key States From Polls (Reader Jim)
The author writes, “Key rightwing legal groups with ties to Donald Trump and his allies have banked millions of dollars from conservative foundations and filed multiple lawsuits challenging voting rules in swing states that are already sowing distrust of election processes and pushing dangerous conspiracy theories, election watchdogs warn. They also warn that the groups appear to be laying the groundwork for a concerted challenge to the result of November’s presidential election if Trump is defeated by Kamala Harris.”
In a Close Election, Here Are Three Legal Disputes That Could Reach the Supreme Court (Reader Steve)
From the Los Angeles Times: “In a nail-biter election Nov. 5, expect the losing side to challenge the results in court. After former President Trump’s 2020 defeat, his supporters filed numerous lawsuits nationwide raising questions about ballots, counting and deadlines. All were dismissed as lacking evidence or sufficient effect on the final tally. … Here’s a look at some issues causing waves in key swing states that could end up at the Supreme Court if there is a razor thin margin separating Vice President Kamala Harris and Trump.”
The System That Moves Water Around the Earth Is Off Balance for the First Time in Human History (Mili)
The author writes, “Humanity has thrown the global water cycle off balance “for the first time in human history,” fueling a growing water disaster that will wreak havoc on economies, food production and lives, according to a landmark new report. Decades of destructive land use and water mismanagement have collided with the human-caused climate crisis to put ‘unprecedented stress’ on the global water cycle, said the report published Wednesday by the Global Commission on the Economics of Water, a group of international leaders and experts.”
The Productivity–Pay Gap (Sean)
From the Economic Policy Institute: “Most Americans believe that a rising tide should lift all boats — that as the economy expands, everybody should reap the rewards. This outcome can be guaranteed by smart and compassionate policy choices or subverted by policymakers choosing a different path. EPI’s Productivity–Pay Tracker shows the shift toward the latter: Since the late 1970s, our policy choices have led directly to a pronounced divergence between productivity and typical workers’ pay. It doesn’t have to be this way.”
Watch Out Dogs — Cats Can Learn Words, Too (Dana)
The author writes, “Common house cats possess the ability to associate human words with images without prompting or reward, new research conducted by animal scientists at Azabu University in Japan has revealed. This discovery, published in the journal Scientific Reports, sheds new light on feline cognitive abilities and their potential for understanding human language.”
