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We’re Only Beginning To Understand Historic Helene Flooding (Maria)
The author writes, “As of Monday morning, if one wanted to grasp the historic nature of flooding from the remnants of Hurricane Helene in western parts of North Carolina and the surrounding areas, the logical place to begin is at the National Climatic Data Center. This federal office maintains the world’s largest climate data archive and provides historical perspective to put present-day weather conditions and natural disasters into context in a warming world due to climate change. Unfortunately, the National Climatic Data Center is based in Asheville, N.C. As I write this, the center’s website remains offline. That’s because Asheville … is the epicenter of catastrophic flooding from Hurricane Helene.”
To Attack Harris, Trump Falsely Describes New Stats on Immigrants and Homicide (Dana)
The author writes, “Former President Donald Trump is wildly distorting new statistics on immigration and crime to attack Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump falsely claimed Friday and Saturday that the statistics are specifically about criminal offenders who entered the US during the Biden-Harris administration; in reality, the figures are about offenders who entered the US over multiple decades, including during the Trump administration. And Trump falsely claimed that the statistics are specifically about people who are now living freely in the US; the figures actually include people who are currently in jails and prisons serving criminal sentences.”
Many Migrants Flown to Martha’s Vineyard by DeSantis Are Still Stuck in Limbo Two Years Later (Reader Steve)
From The Boston Globe: “When the Martha’s Vineyard migrants arrived here, they benefited from an extraordinary outpouring of attention and support. State officials and Good Samaritans rushed to donate food and clothing, and helped them find places to stay. They wanted to prove DeSantis wrong: Northern liberals would not turn their backs on migrants showing up unexpectedly in their own backyard. Two years later, at least 20,000 more migrants have arrived, and the landscape has shifted dramatically.”
California’s Governor Has Vetoed a Historic AI Safety Bill (DonkeyHotey)
The authors write, “Advocates said it would be a modest law setting ‘clear, predictable, common-sense safety standards’ for artificial intelligence. Opponents argued it was a dangerous and arrogant step that will ‘stifle innovation.’ In any event, SB 1047 — California state Sen. Scott Wiener’s proposal to regulate advanced AI models offered by companies doing business in the state — is now kaput, vetoed by Gov. Gavin Newsom.”
A Brief History of Booby-Trapping Electronics to Blow Up (Laura)
From The Intercept: “Israel’s attack that turned pagers belonging to Hezbollah members into explosive devices is shocking — but not unprecedented.”
How the Fossil Fuel Industry Helps Spread Anti-Protest Laws Across the US (Gerry)
From The Guardian: “Fossil fuel lobbyists coordinated with lawmakers behind the scenes and across state lines to push and shape laws that are escalating a crackdown on peaceful protests against oil and gas expansion, a new Guardian investigation reveals. Records obtained by the Guardian show that lobbyists working for major North American oil and gas companies were key architects of anti-protest laws that increase penalties and could lead to non-violent environmental and climate activists being imprisoned up to 10 years.”
Strange New Species Found in Toxic Lake Could Hold Clues to Life’s Origins (Sean)
The author writes, “In an incredibly inhospitable lake, scientists have discovered a new tiny species that forms huge colonies. These strange creatures have an unusual relationship with other microbes and could even provide clues to the origins of complex life. The new species has been named Barroeca monosierra, and it belongs to a microbe group known as choanoflagellates — single-celled organisms that can cluster together to form colonies and act suspiciously like multicellular lifeforms.”
