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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.
Experts Grade Big Tech on Readiness to Handle Midterm Election Misinformation (Maria)
The author writes, “The 2016 US election was a wake-up call about the dangers of political misinformation on social media. With two more election cycles rife with misinformation under their belts, social media companies have experience identifying and countering misinformation. However, the nature of the threat misinformation poses to society continues to shift in form and targets. The big lie about the 2020 presidential election has become a major theme, and immigrant communities are increasingly in the crosshairs of disinformation campaigns — deliberate efforts to spread misinformation. Social media companies have announced plans to deal with misinformation in the 2022 midterm elections.”
Why Pro-Israel Lobby Group Aipac Is Backing Election Deniers and Extremist Republicans (Russ)
The author writes, “The US’s largest pro-Israel lobby group is backing dozens of racists, homophobes, and election deniers running for Congress next month because they have pledged to defend Israel against stiffening criticism of its oppression of the Palestinians. The powerful American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac) has justified endorsing Republicans with extremist views, including members of Congress with ties to white supremacist groups and representatives who attempted to block Joe Biden’s election victory, on the grounds that the singular issue of support for Israel trumps other considerations.”
Election Result Could Bring Disturbing Scenario for Women (Reader Steve)
The author writes, “I’m imagining the possibility that the consequence of this upcoming election will be the banning of abortion under state and federal law. Here’s a scenario I foresee, looking back from 2025: Trump and the right return to rule in 2024. Within months abortion is banned nationwide and by 2025 a desperate 16-year-old is getting her malformed stillborn fetus extracted on an Arizona back road by an abortionist just as a multi-governmental SWAT team raids the RV. She loses consciousness in the chaos. That same morning, Gov. Lake, a national star and Trump’s clear successor, signs an abortion bill granting judges wider discretion in sentencing.”
KCPD Said Missing Black Women Reports in KC Were ‘Completely Unfounded.’ Less Than a Month Later, One Escaped After Being Kidnapped From Prospect & Tortured in a Basement for Over a Month (DonkeyHotey)
From The Kansas City Defender: “The bombshell revelations and horrifically tragic events explicitly disprove KCPD’s earlier statement that there are no missing Black women from this area and that the potential of a KC serial killer is ‘completely unfounded.’ The woman also told investigators her friends ‘didn’t make it out’ and had been murdered by the man.”
Meet the Tough Women Leaders Taking on Vladimir Putin (Dana)
From the New York Post: “It’s striking, the large number of brave women who are leading the protests against Iran’s violent and vicious theocratic regime. It’s likewise notable that young women lead the Ukrainian organization just awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Arguably less noticed yet equally important: Across Europe, it’s women who are transcending political and geographic boundaries to call for an end to Russia’s brutal aggression. Here are five names Americans should know.”
Profit, Pain, and Puppies: Inside the Rescue of Nearly 4,000 Beagles (Laura)
From The Washington Post: “The first beagle out that day had brown eyes and a chunk missing from his left ear. His tail was a nub. It went from tan to white, then disappeared, maybe bitten off in a fight or caught in a cage door. The 1-year-old had never been given a name — just an identification code, ‘CMG CKA,’ tattooed in blue-green on the flap of his left ear. Like the thousands of other beagles bred for research at Envigo, a sprawling complex tucked deep in rural Virginia, he’d spent his entire life in a cage surrounded by the relentless barking of other dogs. Now, on a Thursday in late July, that was about to change.”
Ancient DNA From 1 Million Years Ago Discovered in Antarctica (Mili)
The author writes, “As we’re a species with ever-shrinking attention spans, it can be difficult to comprehend just how long life has been around on Earth. However, try to get your head around this one: Scientists have dug up fragments of DNA dating back 1 million years ago. Found beneath the floor of the Scotia Sea, north of the Antarctic, these fragments of organic material can be invaluable in charting the history of the region — mapping out what has lived in the ocean and across what kind of time spans.”
