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US in Deep Freeze as Much of World Is Extra Toasty: Yet Again, It’s Climate Change (Maria)
The author writes, “Much of the United States is shivering through brutal cold as most of the rest of the world is feeling unusually warm weather. However strange it sounds, that contradiction fits snugly in explanations of what climate change is doing to Earth, scientists said. In a map of global temperatures the last several days, big chunks of the world — the Arctic, Asia, parts of Africa, the Middle East and South America — show as dark red, signifying more than a dozen degrees Fahrenheit warmer than the late 20th-century average. … This all comes from what’s happening in the Arctic, where it used to be warming twice as fast as the rest of the planet. Now, it’s warming three to four times faster.”
Authorities Investigate Threats to Democratic Lawmakers (DonkeyHotey)
The authors write, “The Capitol Police and the F.B.I. are investigating remarks reported to have been made by Roger J. Stone Jr., a longtime Republican operative and informal adviser to former President Donald J. Trump, in which he expressed a desire for the deaths of two Democratic lawmakers in the weeks before the 2020 election, a government official familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.”
What Happened to Thousands of Voters? Registrations Suddenly Drop in Broward, Palm Beach Counties (Reader Pat)
From the South Florida Sun Sentinel: “Broward, the state’s second largest county, had a robust roll of active registered voters at the beginning of December: 1.28 million. By the start of 2024, the number suddenly had plunged — to 1.09 million. A few months earlier, records show, Palm Beach County saw a large downward bump as well. … The drop-offs in South Florida and elsewhere in the state have generated questions, concerns — and even a conspiracy theory — at the beginning of what already promises to be an enormously contentious election year in which people will decide on the presidency and, possibly, referendums on highly charged questions of recreational marijuana and abortion rights.”
Court: No Labels Party Must Give Candidates Permission to Run for Office (Readers Steve and Jim)
The author writes, “Arizonans can’t run for office under the No Labels banner unless the party gives them permission. In a new ruling Tuesday, U.S. District Court Judge John Tuchi barred Secretary of State Adrian Fontes from accepting any requests by any individual — including those registered with the party — to be a candidate in the 2024 primary election. The decision also means that it will be the party that decides if it wants to run candidates for president and vice president in the general election.”
The Cost of Freeing Drinking Water From ‘Forever Chemicals’ (Laura)
From Undark: “The EPA is set to limit PFAS in drinking water to barely detectable levels. Can water utilities meet the standard?”
What Is Going on With ChatGPT? (Sean)
The author writes, “Sick and tired of having to work for a living? ChatGPT feels the same, apparently. Over the last month or so, there’s been an uptick in people complaining that the chatbot has become lazy. Sometimes it just straight-up doesn’t do the task you’ve set it. Other times it will stop halfway through whatever it’s doing and you’ll have to plead with it to keep going. Occasionally it even tells you to just do the damn research yourself. So what’s going on?”
Lexington, KY, Sent a Tourism Ad to ‘Extraterrestrials’ With a DIY Laser Rig
From Popular Science: “The city hopes any potential aliens in the TRAPPIST-1 system will learn bourbon, horses, and bluegrass are worth the 40 light-year journey, although the message might not survive the trip.”
