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Big Zoo Surprise: Rare Twin Elephants Born in Thailand (Maria)
The authors write, “An Asian elephant in central Thailand has given birth to a rare set of twins in what caretakers have described as a miracle. The mother, 36-year-old Chamchuri, was not expected to deliver twins, and when she gave birth to a male calf last Friday, staff at the Ayutthaya Elephant Palace and Royal Kraal, had thought the delivery was done. But while cleaning up the first calf and helping it stand on its feet, they heard a loud thud and realized that Chamchuri had given birth to a second calf, a female. … ‘Once we pulled the second baby elephant out, away from the mother, the baby stood up. We were all cheering because it’s a miracle,’ veterinarian Lardthongtare Meepan told the BBC.”
House Democrats Step up to Try to Stop Project 2025 Plans for a Trump White House (Reader Steve)
From The Associated Press: “The Democratic-led task force comes as groups on and off Capitol Hill are increasingly alarmed over Project 2025, a sweeping blueprint from the conservative Heritage Foundation that is preparing to quickly help staff a new GOP administration with plans for dismantling aspects of the federal government and installing loyalists for a second Trump term.”
Sinclair Injects Deceptive Attacks on Biden’s Age Into Dozens of Local Broadcasts (DonkeyHotey)
The authors write, “A 2018 study published in the American Political Science Review found that stations purchased by Sinclair increase ‘coverage of national politics at the expense of local politics’ and undergo ‘a significant rightward shift in the ideological slant of coverage.’ Delivering right-wing attacks on Biden’s mental fitness under the guise of ‘local news’ is an extremely powerful tactic. While many Americans are distrustful of the national media, 71% believe that local news is accurate, including 78% of Democrats and 66% of Republicans.”
Why Canada Is Worried About a US Civil War (Sean)
From Politico: “In a spring report titled ‘Disruptions on the Horizon,’ a quiet office known as Policy Horizons Canada proposed American civil war as a scenario that Ottawa should consider preparing for. This hypothetical was tucked into the middle of the 37-page document, which sketched the possibility in 15 spare words: ‘US ideological divisions, democratic erosion, and domestic unrest escalate, plunging the country into civil war.’”
The US Is Considering Deploying More Nuclear Weapons to Deter Russia, China, and North Korea, Us Official Says (Sean)
The author writes, “Speaking at the annual meeting Arms Control Association (ACA) on Friday, Pranay Vaddi, the top National Security Council arms control official, said, ‘We may reach a point in the coming years where an increase from current deployed numbers is required. We need to be fully prepared to execute if the president makes that decision.’ Vaddi warned that adversaries of the US, specifically referring to Russia, China, and North Korea, ‘are all expanding and diversifying their nuclear arsenals at a breakneck pace, showing little or no interest in arms control.’”
Wild Horses Return to Kazakhstan Steppes After Absence of Two Centuries (Dana)
From The Guardian: “The seven horses, four mares from Berlin and a stallion and two other mares from Prague, were flown to the central Asian country on a Czech air force transport plane. The wild horses, known as Przewalski’s horses, once roamed the vast steppe grasslands of central Asia, where horses are believed to have been first domesticated about 5,500 years ago.”
