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Energy Transition Facing Metals Gap Unless Investment Rises: Report (Maria)
The author writes, “Rapid demand growth as a result of the energy transition could lead to a shortage of several metals in the next decade unless investment is increased, a global group of energy producers, consumers and financial institutions said. Large supply gaps for lithium, nickel, graphite, cobalt, neodymium and copper could lead to higher prices and delay the goal of reaching net-zero emissions by 2050, the Energy Transitions Commission (ETC) said in a report.”
Clarence Thomas Cited My Work in His Affirmative Action Opinion. Here’s What He Got Wrong. (Dana)
The author writes, “Thomas’ concurrence in the court’s June 29 decision, which struck down affirmative action in college admissions, argues that ‘meritocratic systems have long refuted bigoted misperceptions of what black [sic] students can accomplish.’ The concurrence cites details from my book about Dunbar, an extraordinary, academically rigorous, once legally segregated high school in Washington, D.C., where Black students thrived for a century. What a shame to see that a story about the greatest generation of African Americans, who defied expectations, was being used to support a position that would have kept many of them from reaching their full potential and succeeding in America.”
‘Designed to Inflict Cruelty’: Rights Groups Sue Florida Over New DeSantis Law (DonkeyHotey)
The author writes, “Legal groups representing the Farmworker Association of Florida and impacted individuals on Monday filed a federal lawsuit in Miami challenging Senate Bill 1781, one of several far-right state laws pushed through this year by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis as he geared up for the GOP’s 2024 presidential primary. … The new Florida law aims to crack down on the employment of undocumented immigrants and requires hospitals that accept Medicaid to ask on forms whether a patient is in the United States lawfully.”
‘No Cruising’ Signs Removed From Downtown Modesto Streets After City Votes to Repeal Ban (Reader Steve)
From The Modesto Bee: “Modesto [CA] celebrated Saturday morning as city staff, in collaboration with the Modesto Police Department and the Modesto Cruiser Council, removed the ‘no cruising’ signs from downtown. The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to repeal the 1990 cruising ban, ending it effective immediately.”
Treasures Lent by Israel for White House Event ‘Stranded at Mar-a-Lago’ (Reader Jim)
The author writes, “Ancient artifacts sent from Israel to the US four years ago on a short-term basis and intended for display at a White House event have ended up at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, according to a report. The Israeli daily Haaretz reported on Tuesday that antiquities including ancient ceramic oil lamps, part of Israel’s national treasures collection, were shipped to Washington DC with the approval of the then director of the Israel Antiquities Authority, Israel Hasson, for use in a Hanukkah candle-lighting event at the White House. The event took place in December 2019, when Trump was in office.”
Midwest States, Often Billed as Climate Havens, Suffer Summer of Smoke, Drought, Heat (Laura)
From Inside Climate News: “The lingering presence of wildfire smoke has made for an unusual start to summer across the Midwest. It also comes during a near-record drought crisping fields across the Corn Belt and the threat of hotter summers to come.”
Underground Cells Make ‘Dark Oxygen’ Without Light (Sean)
From Quanta Magazine: “Scientists have come to realize that in the soil and rocks beneath our feet there lies a vast biosphere with a global volume nearly twice that of all the world’s oceans. Little is known about these underground organisms, who represent most of the planet’s microbial mass and whose diversity may exceed that of surface-dwelling life forms. Their existence comes with a great puzzle: Researchers have often assumed that many of those subterranean realms are oxygen-deficient dead zones inhabited only by primitive microbes keeping their metabolisms at a crawl and scraping by on traces of nutrients. As those resources get depleted, it was thought, the underground environment must become lifeless with greater depth.”
