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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.
Global Drought Saps Hydropower, Complicating Clean-Energy Push (Maria)
The authors write, “Record drought across the globe this year dried up rivers and reservoirs and sapped the world’s largest source of renewable electricity: hydropower. The dip in electricity generated by the flow of water across dams in China, Europe, and the U.S. stifled power production. In some places, it has caused factories and smelters to shut down for weeks on end. … As governments push a transition away from fossil fuels and climate change upends the reliability of nature-driven energy sources, the drought has also raised questions about how hydropower fits into the energy mix.”
Takeaways From the AP/Frontline Michael Flynn Investigation (Reader Steve)
From AP: “Michael Flynn, a retired Army lieutenant general and onetime national security adviser to President Donald Trump, has been systematically building a political movement based on Christian nationalist ideas. … An investigation by The Associated Press and the PBS series Frontline found that Flynn has used public appearances to energize voters, made political endorsements to build alliances and amassed a network of nonprofit groups to advance the movement. Along the way, Flynn and his companies have earned hundreds of thousands of dollars for his efforts.”
QAnon Is Losing It Over the Queen’s Death (Mili)
The author writes, “Despite spending years claiming she’d already been executed, QAnon on Thursday openly celebrated the news of Queen Elizabeth’s death. ‘May she burn in hell for eternity,’ one QAnon account on Telegram wrote moments after the queen’s death was announced. ‘So happy! The evil witch is dead,’ another wrote. For years, the queen has been a central figure in the QAnon conspiracy as part of a cast of elites who followers believe are operating a child sex trafficking ring that traverses the globe.”
Free Staters Seek to Undo New Hampshire Government From Within (Sean)
From The Boston Globe: “The doormat outside Carla Gericke’s house carries the warning ‘Come back with a warrant.’ It’s a stark reflection of her broad distrust of government bureaucracy, an attitude that is the driving force behind the Free State movement, which has led thousands of like-minded people to move to New Hampshire on a quixotic quest — to build a libertarian utopia. Gericke helps lead that movement, and her agenda is broad and unapologetically radical. More than 6,000 people have relocated to New Hampshire since the effort was launched 21 years ago, according to its organizers. And while some dispute that claim, legislators on both sides of the aisle in Concord agree that Free Staters have come to wield outsize political influence.”
A Black Pastor Sues the Police Who Arrested Him While Watering His Neighbors’ Flowers (DonkeyHotey)
The author writes, “Michael Jennings, the Black pastor arrested while watering his neighbor’s flowers, has filed a federal lawsuit against the police officers involved in his detainment. The lawsuit also names the city of Childersburg, which oversees the police department that arrested Jennings, as a defendant. … ‘I’m here for accountability, and I’m here for justice,’ Jennings said. The lawsuit says Jennings is suffering with emotional distress and ‘significant PTSD type symptoms’ that include nightmares and flashbacks.”
Ending Free COVID Tests, US Policy Is Now ‘Figure It Out Yourself’ (Dana)
From The Nation: “Recently, Coronavirus Response Coordinator Ashish Jha announced that the federal government will end its expenditures for Covid vaccines, treatments, and tests this fall. The popular federal program that sent Americans free at-home Covid tests was then shuttered on September 2. … In his comments on the end of federal funding, Jha stated, ‘My hope is that in 2023, you’re going to see the commercialization of all of these products.’ … The United States will be among the first countries to cease the provision of free Covid vaccinations and treatments, leaving low-income people — a group that is overrepresented among the pandemic’s victims — with even less protection.”
‘Vampire’ in Poland Found Buried With a Sickle to Prevent the Rise of the Dead (Mili)
The author writes, “The skeletal remains of a female ‘vampire’ were found in a 17th-century Polish graveyard — with a sickle across her neck to prevent her rising from the dead. Professor Dariusz Poliński from Nicholas Copernicus University headed the archaeological dig that led to the discovery of the remains, which were found wearing a silk cap and with a protruding front tooth.”
