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.
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Very Cool: Trees Curtailing Climate Warming in Eastern US, New Study Finds (Maria)
The author writes, “Trees provide innumerable benefits to the world, from food to shelter to oxygen, but researchers have now found their dramatic rebound in the eastern US has delivered a further, stunning feat — the curtailing of the soaring temperatures caused by the climate crisis. … A major reason for this anomaly, the new study finds, is the vast reforestation of much of the eastern US following the initial loss of large numbers of trees in the wake of European settlement in America.”
Trump Wants to Fire Thousands of Government Workers. Liberals Are Preparing to Fight Back If He Wins (Reader Steve)
The author writes, “Former President Donald Trump has plans to radically reshape the federal government if he returns to the White House, from promising to deport millions of immigrants in the U.S. illegally to abolishing government agencies and firing tens of thousands of workers and replacing them with loyalists. Liberal organizations in Washington are backing President Joe Biden and say they expect Trump to lose. But they’re quietly trying to install roadblocks just in case. A collection of activists, advocates and legal experts is promoting new federal rules to limit presidential power while urging Biden’s White House to do more to protect his accomplishments and limit Trump in a possible second term.”
Russia’s Dangerous New Friends (Sean)
From Foreign Affairs: “Since invading Ukraine in 2022, Russia has forged deep ties with Iran. Moscow … has begun diplomatically shielding the Islamic Republic and boosting its investment in the Iranian economy. Tehran, in turn, has provided substantial battlefield support to the Russian military, including drones. … But Russia is simultaneously building another set of relationships that, although more subtle, are no less significant. Over the past two years, Moscow has intensified its ties to the ‘axis of resistance’: the network of Iranian partners and proxies that stretches from Lebanon to Iraq. This axis, which includes Hamas, Hezbollah, the Yemeni Houthis, and Iraqi and Syrian militias, believes itself to be in confrontation with Israel and, by extension, the United States. It is a natural ally for the Kremlin.”
Days Before Extradition Hearing, Australian Parliament Tells US to Drop Assange Case (DonkeyHotey)
The author writes, “As WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange awaits a two-day hearing before the United Kingdom’s High Court next week on his possible extradition to the United States, lawmakers in his home country of Australia voted Wednesday in favor of pushing the U.S. and U.K. to allow Assange to return home instead. ‘Enough is enough,’ said Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese regarding the U.S. case against Assange, who published thousands of classified diplomatic and military documents in 2010 that included evidence of U.S. war crimes. ‘This thing cannot just go on and on and on indefinitely.’”
Accepting My Hearing Loss Somehow Changed Everything (Reader Jim)
The author writes, “Some findings show that as hearing loss progresses, so can anxiety. In one study of older, community-dwelling adults, mild hearing impairment was linked to a 32% greater chance of having anxiety. A more significant hearing impairment was found to increase that chance to 59%.”
Humpbacks Rebound in 20th-Century Whaling Hotspot (Laura)
From Hakai Magazine: “In summer, South Georgia island’s Cumberland Bay now sees whale numbers that rival the early days of whaling.”
Beware: A Cheese Crisis Looms (Dana)
From Vox: “Camembert, I’m sorry to report, is in trouble. The soft cheese, which smells a bit like feet, is on the ‘verge of extinction,’ according to the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS). Other cheeses, including brie and various blues, are under threat, too, the group has warned. This looming cheese crisis, this Camembert calamity, stems from a much bigger problem: a collapse in microbial diversity.”
