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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Why the East Coast Earthquake Covered So Much Ground (Maria)
The author writes, “Friday morning at around 10:30 local time, a magnitude 4.8 earthquake popped three miles below Whitehouse Station, New Jersey. Though nowhere near the magnitude of the West Coast’s monster quakes, the seismic waves traveled hundreds of miles, jostling not just nearby New York City, but Philadelphia and Boston and Washington, DC. The United States Geological Survey is urging the region to prepare for aftershocks of smaller magnitude. For a region not accustomed to earthquakes, it was a jolt. Its wide-ranging impact turns out to be not a quirk, but a byproduct of the East Coast’s unique geology of ancient fault lines and rock composition.”
Trump’s Lawyers Told the Court That No One Would Give Him a Bond. Then He Got a Lifeline, but They Didn’t Tell the Judges. (Reader Steve and Gerry)
The authors write, “An appeals court reduced Trump’s bond by more than 60% after his attorneys claimed it was a ‘practical impossibility’ to pay the full amount. Their failure to disclose a proposal from a billionaire financier may have violated ethics rules.”
Donald Trump’s Election Proposal Resoundingly Rejected by Republicans (Sean)
From Newsweek: “A Donald Trump-backed bid for Nebraska to adopt a winner-take-all system for the presidential elections in November stumbled on Wednesday as state lawmakers voted down a procedural motion that could have put the proposal to a vote. The Republican-controlled state legislature rejected the procedural motion by 36 votes to eight, blocking what one GOP state senator described as ‘the last chance to pass winner-take-all this session.’”
What Liberals Get Wrong About ‘White Rural Rage’ — Almost Everything (Al)
From Politico: “If you’ve been watching television or tracking trending topics over the last few weeks, you’ve probably seen or read something about ‘white rural rage.’ This is owed to the publication of a new book, White Rural Rage, by Tom Schaller and Paul Waldman, whose thesis is that white rural Americans, despite representing just 16 percent of the American electorate, are a ‘threat to the world’s oldest constitutional democracy.’ … But don’t be misled. The publication and widespread celebration of White Rural Rage among progressive circles is … not an attempt to understand the needs and concerns of rural America. Instead, it’s an outpouring of frustration with rural America that might feel cathartic for liberals, but will only serve to further marginalize and demonize a segment of the American population that already feels forgotten and dismissed by the experts and elites.”
Risk Factors for Faster Aging in the Brain Revealed in New Study (Mili)
The author writes, “Researchers have used data from UK Biobank participants to reveal that diabetes, traffic-related air pollution and alcohol intake are the most harmful out of 15 modifiable risk factors for dementia.”
Cranes in Ukraine: Birds of Joy in a War-Torn Land (Laura)
From The Revelator: “This spring, as Russian missiles and drones continued to rain destruction upon Ukraine, a more hopeful symbol appeared in the skies about the embattled nation. The cranes had returned. Every March and April, these elegant, long-necked birds migrate into the marshes, lakes and steppes of Ukraine, where they build nests and spend several months resting and eating before flying off for winter. Two crane species arrive each year: the common or gray crane (Grus grus) and the demoiselle or steppe crane (G. virgo). The critically endangered Siberian crane (Leucogeranus leucogeranus) has also been known to visit the country.”
NYC’s AI Chatbot Was Caught Telling Businesses To Break the Law. The City Isn’t Taking It Down (Reader Jim)
The author writes, “An artificial intelligence-powered chatbot created by New York City to help small business owners is under criticism for dispensing bizarre advice that misstates local policies and advises companies to violate the law. But days after the issues were first reported last week by tech news outlet The Markup, the city has opted to leave the tool on its official government website. Mayor Eric Adams defended the decision this week even as he acknowledged the chatbot’s answers were ‘wrong in some areas.’”
