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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WWII Vets Are Rock Stars in France as They Hand Over Duty of Remembering D-Day (Maria)
The author writes, “The D-Day generation, smaller than ever, is back on the beaches of France where so much blood was spilled 81 years ago. World War II veterans, now mostly centenarians, have returned with the same message they fought for then: Freedom is worth defending. … A group of nearly two dozen veterans who served in Europe and the Pacific is commemorating the fallen and getting rock-star treatment this week in Normandy — the first patch of mainland France that Allied forces liberated with the June 6, 1944, invasion and the greatest assembly of ships and planes the world had known.”
Months After Detaining 47 People Accused of Being Tren de Aragua in Austin, Authorities Offer No Evidence of Gang Ties (DonkeyHotey)
From the Texas Tribune: “In late March, a group of Venezuelan relatives and friends, celebrating a pair of birthdays, rented a six-bedroom house in the southern tip of Austin with a pool and stunning views from every window of Texas’ Hill Country. They decorated a table for a cake and blew up balloons. As the night faded, the kids went to bed and the adults kept hanging out. … A cadre of Texas and federal authorities arrived as part of an operation that resulted in the apprehension of 47 people including nine minors — at least one as young as 3 — though it is not clear whether all were at the party. The authorities later claimed they had busted a gathering of members and associates of Tren de Aragua, a violent gang that began in a Venezuelan prison before extending to other parts of Latin America.”
Escaped Louisiana Inmate Pleads for Trump’s Help in Video (Sean)
From The Hill: “Authorities are investigating videos that reportedly show one of the two New Orleans jail escapees still at large pleading for help from President Trump, reality star Kim Kardashian, and rappers Meek Mill and Lil Wayne, among others. A man identifying himself as 31-year-old Antoine Massey, one of 10 inmates who authorities say escaped the Orleans Justice Center on May 16, posted multiple clips on social media claiming ‘the system has failed a lot of people and not just me.’ Massey was being held in the New Orleans jail on domestic abuse and car theft charges and has a history of escaping from law enforcement custody. In one of the clips, the man held up what he described as documents that prove his innocence.”
Iowa State Lawmaker Enters US Senate Race After Ernst Retort on Medicaid Cuts (Reader Steve)
The author writes, “Iowa state Rep. J.D. Scholten, a Democrat, announced a run for U.S. Senate on Monday, a decision he says he made after U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst made a retort about Medicaid cuts that prompted swift backlash. Scholten, from northwest Iowa, was first elected to the statehouse in 2023 after twice losing congressional races in Iowa’s reliably conservative 4th Congressional District. ‘I wasn’t planning on doing this right now but I just can’t sit on the sidelines,’ Scholten said in an announcement on social media.”
As Summer Approaches, New Jersey’s Shore Towns Confront an Unrelenting Foe: Sea Level Rise (Laura)
From Inside Climate News: “The briny bay waters flood the parking lot and beer garden at the Vagabond Kitchen & Taphouse — and not just when it rains. Across town, the water gushes up the sidewalk at the El Rinconcito grocery, sometimes leaving manager Jeraldo Diaz with no choice but to close for the day. Even on sunny days, the water is suddenly there, like a quiet invader, especially when the moon is full and the tide is high. Scientists say that such flooding, which is known as sunny day flooding or nuisance flooding, is a harbinger of the future. New Jersey’s sea level is rising at about twice the global average, and studies predict that the lowest-lying shore points, including this seaside city known for its beachfront casinos, will experience flooding at an ever-growing rate in the coming years.”
Singing to Babies Improves Their Mood (Mili)
The author writes, “Around the world and across cultures, singing to babies seems to come instinctively to caregivers. Now, new findings support that singing is an easy, safe, and free way to help improve the mental well-being of infants. Because improved mood in infancy is associated with a greater quality of life for both parents and babies, this in turn has benefits for the health of the entire family, the researchers say. The study also helps explain why musical behaviors may have evolved in parents.”
The Light Beyond Sight (Dana)
From Aeon: “The human eye, that great enabler of art and action, has some galling design limitations. Our vision is tightly tuned to the peak colors of sunlight, leaving us blind to almost all other forms of radiation. If you think about the frequencies of light by analogy with the frequencies of sound, there are some 80 octaves of detectable electromagnetic radiation found in nature. We are able to see exactly one of them: the octave that extends from the violet to the red ends of the rainbow. The Universe bombards us with the other 79 octaves all the time, but we are oblivious to them. The human mind, on the other hand, suffers no such limitations. Technology can create sensors responsive to rays that are utterly inaccessible to the human eye, or to any other type of eye found in the biological world, for that matter. Venturing even a tiny bit beyond the red edge of the rainbow, into the undiscovered country of the infrared, is a transformative experience: it reveals an entire hidden Universe.”
