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Cozy, Quiet and Efficient: How New York Is Pioneering Eco-Friendly Apartments (Maria)
The author writes, “It was the midst of a July heatwave, with humidity sticky in the air. Phoebe Saldana sat in the colorful plaza of her East Harlem housing complex, watching her two young daughters ride scooters. … Saldana lives in Sendero Verde, a 709-unit complex that houses low-income and formerly homeless individuals. Completed in April, it’s the largest certified passive-house building in the US, and its champions say it can serve as a model as other cities and states seek to tackle both the housing crisis and the climate crisis.”
Pence Makes Clear He’s Not Supporting Trump in 2024: ‘Cannot Endorse’ the Current GOP Platform (Dana)
The author writes, “Former Vice President Pence Mike made clear on Friday that he would not be involved in the 2024 presidential campaign and would not support his former boss Donald Trump. Pence spoke at conservative radio host Erick Erickson’s annual conference called ‘The Gathering’ and while promoting the accomplishments of the Trump administration, Pence also admonished the current state of the GOP. Notably, of all living GOP nominees for president and vice president, only former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is supporting Trump in 2024.”
Moscow’s Spies Were Stealing US Tech — Until the FBI Started a Sabotage Campaign (Sean)
From Politico: “During the early days of Silicon Valley, a tech industry entrepreneur teamed up with the FBI to ship faulty devices to Moscow.”
A Reality Check on the ‘Tampon Tim’ Meme (Laura)
From the Star Tribune: “On [August 6], Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris tapped Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate. By [the next day], the opposition had mobilized with lightning speed for one of its first political attacks, dubbing Walz ‘Tampon Tim’ in reference to a new state law providing free menstrual products to school students. The nickname was trending nationally this week on Twitter, an indicator of its political currency. … As usual, facts and context were missing, especially from those who see the new law as evidence of a radical Minnesota under Walz’s leadership. But a closer, more informed look at the issue should yield a different conclusion. This is good and necessary policy. Providing free menstrual products is a practical, compassionate remedy to address an under-the-radar reason for student absenteeism.”
Project 2025 and Education: A Lot of Bad Ideas, Some More Actionable Than Others (Gerry)
The authors write, “Project 2025 warrants a close look, even if the Trump campaign would like Americans to avert their gaze. Project 2025’s education agenda proposes a drastic overhaul of federal education policy, from early childhood through higher education. … We’ve reviewed the Project 2025 chapter on education (Chapter 11), along with other chapters with implications for students. We’ve come away with four main observations.”
A US Bitcoin Reserve Would Do Much for Bitcoin and Little for Taxpayers (DonkeyHotey)
From The Hill: “Speaking at the Nashville Bitcoin 2024 conference, Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) floated a ‘revolutionary proposal’ to make the federal government a Bitcoin investor. It is hard to imagine how this might benefit US taxpayers or support the dollar’s value, but it certainly would raise the dollar price of Bitcoin. While it is unsurprising that a plan to use taxpayer dollars to benefit foreign and domestic Bitcoin owners would have the Nashville audience cheering, it is impossible to justify. Neither the Federal Reserve nor the US Treasury would want to or should be permitted to support Bitcoin’s price.”
Mpox Is Becoming More Deadly. We Need Global Action Now to Prevent Another Pandemic (Mili)
The authors write, “The Democratic Republic of Congo is grappling with a deadly outbreak of mpox caused by a novel, sexually transmitted strain of the virus. This new outbreak emerged in September 2023 and is spreading. Its close proximity to DRC’s eastern borders and its spread have spurred concern among experts about another potential global health emergency. The mpox virus, formerly known as monkeypox, is a close relative to the virus that causes smallpox.”
