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US Power Grid Added Battery Equivalent of 20 Nuclear Reactors In Past Four Years (Maria)
The author writes, “Faced with worsening climate-driven disasters and an electricity grid increasingly supplied by intermittent renewables, the U.S. is rapidly installing huge batteries that are already starting to help prevent power blackouts. From barely anything just a few years ago, the U.S. is now adding utility-scale batteries at a dizzying pace, having installed more than 20 gigawatts of battery capacity to the electric grid. … according to the federal Energy Information Administration. This means that battery storage equivalent to the output of 20 nuclear reactors has been bolted on to America’s electric grids in barely four years.”
Trump Ground Game Faces New Fraud Claims as Video Shows Door-Knock Hack (Russ)
From The Guardian: “Donald Trump’s ground game in Arizona and Nevada may be undermined by canvassers working for America Pac using GPS spoofing to pretend they have knocked on doors when they haven’t, according to multiple people familiar with the practice and a leaked how-to-fake-location video. The ramifications for Trump may be far reaching, given America Pac has taken on the bulk of the Trump campaign’s ground game in the battleground states, and the election increasingly appears set to be decided by turnout.”
The Very Real Scenario Where Trump Loses and Takes Power Anyway (Reader Jim)
From Politico: “Four years ago, a sitting president — rejected by American voters — attempted to seize a second term anyway, plunging the nation into confusion, conflict and, in its last gasp, violence. Now, Donald Trump’s political comeback has revived a sense of dread among the officials and institutions who stood in his way last time: Could it happen again? Dozens of interviews with people deeply familiar or involved with the election process point to a clear consensus: Not only could Trump make a second attempt at overturning an election he loses, he and his allies are already laying the groundwork.”
Republican Attorneys General to Court: We Demand More Pregnant Teens (Dana)
From Balls and Strikes: “Three state Republican Attorneys General filed a complaint in federal court on October 11 arguing that their states have a right to pregnant teenagers and that right is being violated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. … ‘Remote dispensing of abortion drugs by mail, common carrier, and interactive computer service is depressing expected birth rates for teenaged mothers in Plaintiff States,’ the attorneys allege in the complaint, which was filed before forced birth enthusiast Judge Matt Kacsmaryk in the Northern District of Texas’s Amarillo Division. They claim that decreased births constitute ‘a sovereign injury to the state in itself,’ and causes downstream injuries like ‘losing a seat in Congress or qualifying for less federal funding if their populations are reduced.’ In other words, uteri are state slush funds, and girls owe the state reproduction once they are capable of it.”
How a Bat Disease May Have Led to the Death of More Than 1,000 Kids (Laura)
The author writes, “Bats have a bad reputation, but they deserve better. The flying mammals are nature’s pest control, swooping over America’s farmland every night to feast on swarms of insects that would otherwise chew through crops. But many of the country’s bat populations are on the decline, wiped out by a devastating fungus that attacks the insect eaters in their sleep. Now, a new study suggests that decline in bats has come at a ghastly cost to human beings.”
Pervasiveness of Inflammation-Inducing Foods in American Diet (Mili)
The author writes, “Almost six in 10 Americans have pro-inflammatory diets, increasing the risk of health problems including heart disease and cancer, according to a new study that used a tool designed to examine inflammation in the diet. The study also found that certain populations — including Black Americans, men and people with lower incomes — were more likely to eat a diet high in pro-inflammatory foods.”
A Historic Milestone: Two People Communicate in Dreams (Sean)
The author writes, “Lucid dreams occur when a person is aware they are dreaming while still in the dream state. This phenomenon happens during REM sleep and has numerous potential applications, from solving physiological problems to learning new skills. Researchers at REMspace, a startup in California, have made an important discovery: lucid dreams might help people communicate in new ways. They used special equipment to help two people enter lucid dreams and send a simple message to each other.”
