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 Oil and Gas Firms To Face Federal Fee for Methane Emissions In New EPA Rule (Maria)
The author writes, “Oil and natural gas companies for the first time will have to pay a federal fee if they emit dangerous methane above certain levels under a rule being made final by the Biden administration. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule follows through on a directive from Congress included in the 2022 climate law. The new fee is intended to encourage industry to adopt best practices that reduce emissions of methane — the primary component of natural gas. … Methane is a climate ‘super pollutant’ that is far more potent in the short term than carbon dioxide and is responsible for about one-third of greenhouse gas emissions. The oil and natural gas sector is the largest industrial source of methane emissions in the U.S., and advocates say reduction of methane emissions is a crucial way to slow climate change.”
None of the Conventional Explanations for Trump’s Victory Stand Up to Scrutiny (DonkeyHotey)
From The Guardian: “Donald Trump has won, and most shockingly, he won the popular vote. Unlike in 2016, which could be explained as a rejection of Hillary Clinton concentrated in the crucial midwestern states, this year he won convincingly. He has increased his share of the vote, as a percentage of the overall national popular vote, in each of the three elections he has run in. Who voted for Trump and why? Many analysts of all political stripes have ready-made explanations for what happened, explanations that usually conveniently reflect the exact beliefs of the analyst. Unfortunately for them, the most common narratives do not stand up to scrutiny. The election results have blown a hole in the worldview of both the center and the left.”
Elon Musk Wants to Radically Reshape Who Controls America’s Money Supply (Reader Jim)
The author writes, “President-elect Donald Trump’s return to the White House already carried the potential for sweeping changes to the Federal Reserve. But now a growing question is not how the central bank will operate under Trump but if it’ll continue to operate at all. Elon Musk, a key Trump backer who is expected to have considerable sway in helping shape Trump’s policies, included a ‘100’ emoji while resharing Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah’s post on X calling for abolishing the Fed.”
Colorado Didn’t Follow the Big National Rightward Swing Toward Donald Trump. Here’s Why (Reader Steve)
From The Denver Post: “Nearly every state shifted distinctly to the right in Tuesday’s election — but Colorado is looking like a rare exception. The Democratic ticket, led this time by Vice President Kamala Harris, again won the state by double-digit margins, even as the nationwide electorate is projected to deliver the popular vote to former President Donald Trump — the first Republican nominee to win that metric in 20 years. A Washington Post model for when all ballots are counted projects that Colorado might even end up as the only state with a shift to the left since the 2020 election.”
The American Invasion: Climate Denialism Crosses the Atlantic (Russ)
The author writes, “In a coordinated effort to undermine climate science and slow environmental progress, prominent American climate change denial organizations recently teamed up with a conservative Austrian trade union known as the Union for Sovereignty and the German climate denialist European Institute for Climate and Energy to strategize on defeating climate solutions that threaten the fossil fuel industry or are otherwise deemed too radical.”
Alex Jones Begs Fans for Donations as Infowars Faces Auction Over His Sandy Hook Lies (Sean)
From The Independent: “Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones begged supporters for donations after revealing that the inventory of his media platform InfoWars will soon be sold to pay back nearly $1.5bn to the families of the Sandy Hook massacre. Jones made the announcement ahead of a court-ordered federal auction on Wednesday, telling viewers that auctioneers had already visited his headquarters ‘to make sure all the stuff’s here.’ During the broadcast he bemoaned the outcome of his legal proceedings, blasting the ‘fake judgments and rigged trials’ and comparing them to those of the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany.”
43 Lab Monkeys Escaped in South Carolina. They Have a Legal Claim to Freedom (Dana)
From Vox: “Last week, 43 monkeys, all of them young female rhesus macaques, escaped from the Alpha Genesis research laboratory in Yemassee, South Carolina, when an employee failed to properly secure the door to their enclosure. It wasn’t the first time something like this happened at Alpha Genesis, a company that breeds and uses thousands of monkeys for biomedical testing and supplies nonhuman primate products and bio-research services to researchers worldwide. … Alpha Genesis is now working to recapture the macaques, who are each about the size of a cat; over the weekend, 25 of them were recovered. Meanwhile, the animal protection group Stop Animal Exploitation Now, which for years has filed federal complaints against the facility, has called on the USDA to prosecute Alpha Genesis as a repeat violator of its duty to keep the animals secure.”
Why, in a Universe of Pain, I’m Saving Stranded Earthworms (Laura)
The author writes, “During the warm afternoon rains that mark the summertime in Ohio, worms emerge from wet soil. They push their small pink heads up toward the surface of the earth and draw their bodies onto wet grass, where they can breathe fresh air and glide across the ground. But when the rain stops and the sun comes out, those worms that traveled too far onto streets and sidewalks become stuck. I find them outside my home, writhing in the heat as the sun bakes them alive. Their little bodies twist and turn as they desperately try to return to the safety of the soil beneath the grass. … Their task is Sisyphean, their dilemma at once futile and inescapable. For that reason, I like to think that I understand them a little. They’re just trying to get where they’re going.”
