Hydroelectric Tech Across Great Lakes Could Become Key Cog in Clean Energy

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Hydroelectric Tech Across Great Lakes Could Become Key Cog in Clean Energy (Maria)

The author writes, “Submersible hydroelectric technology deployed across the Great Lakes could become a key cog in clean energy efforts amid surging electricity demand and costs, supporters say. … While none of the five Great Lakes have significant tides or currents to fuel hydropower, several of the waterways that link the lakes do.”

Donald Trump’s Education Secretary Linda McMahon’s Big Tour Goes Off the Rails as Cancellations Pile Up (Sean)

From The Daily Beast: “Donald Trump’s education secretary is under fire for an ostensibly apolitical national tour ahead of America’s 250th birthday that critics say has been funded entirely by pro-MAGA groups. Linda McMahon — who presides over what’s left of the Department of Education after Trump launched an initiative to effectively ‘eliminate’ it last year — launched her ‘History Rocks!’ tour of the US last December. McMahon has billed the educational tour as a politically neutral celebration of US history ahead of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence on July 4. But critics have raised concerns after it emerged that the America 250 Civics Education Coalition sponsoring the drive is, in fact, made up entirely of pro-Trump organizations.” 

John Fetterman’s Political Shift Draws Ire of Pennsylvania Democrats (DonkeyHotey)

The author writes, “Throughout his 2022 campaign for U.S. Senate, John Fetterman often took to social media to needle the few centrist Senate Democrats with histories of breaking party ranks. Then Pennsylvania’s lieutenant governor, Fetterman cast himself as the anti-Joe Manchin and anti-Kyrsten Sinema candidate who would give Democrats a reliable 51st vote in the Senate. The oversize, tattooed, hoodie-and-shorts-wearing Fetterman overcame Dr. Mehmet Oz’s celebrity status and his near-fatal stroke to become the only Democrat to flip a GOP Senate seat during that cycle. Fast forward four years, and the former Braddock mayor finds himself playing the part he once deplored. And many of the people who voted for him have taken notice.”

Trump Climate Health Rollback Likely To Hit Poor, Minority Areas Hardest, Experts Say (Laura)

From the AP: “In a stretch of Louisiana with about 170 fossil fuel and petrochemical plants, premature death is a fact of life for people living nearby. The air is so polluted and the cancer rates so high it is known as Cancer Alley. … Cancer Alley is one of many patches of America — mostly minority and poor — that suffer higher levels of air pollution from fossil fuel facilities that emit tiny particles connected to higher death rates. When the federal government in 2009 targeted carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases as a public health danger because of climate change, it led to tighter regulation of pollution and cleaner air in some communities. But this month, the Trump administration’s Environmental Protection Agency overturned that ‘endangerment finding.’”

Wikipedia Bans AI-Generated Articles (Bethany)

From The Verge: “Wikipedia will no longer allow editors to write or rewrite articles using AI. The update, which was added to Wikipedia’s guidelines late last week, cites the tendency for AI-written articles to violate ‘several of Wikipedia’s core content policies’ as the reason for the ban. The change applies to the English version of Wikipedia and will still allow editors to use AI in certain scenarios. That includes using large language models to “suggest basic copyedits” to their writing, but only if it ‘does not introduce content of its own.’ Editors can also use AI to translate articles from another language’s Wikipedia into English. However, they still must follow the site’s rules on LLM-assisted translations, which require editors to have enough knowledge of the original language to confirm the accuracy of the translation.”

Get a Dog, Live Longer? (Mili)

The author writes, “Research dating back decades has found that people who own pets, especially dogs, tend to be healthier than people who don’t. Studies show that having a pet is associated with lower blood pressure, a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and lower rates of death after a heart attack or stroke. And a large review of studies published in 2019 found that owning a dog was associated with a 24 percent lower risk of dying from all causes over the course of 10 years. The benefit is so striking when it comes to heart health that the American Heart Association even has a scientific statement devoted to it, declaring that dog ownership “may be reasonable for reduction in cardiovascular disease risk.”

A Skeleton Discovered in a Dutch Church May Belong to Musketeer D’Artagnan (Dana)

From NPR: “The remains of d’Artagnan, a swashbuckling swordsman made famous by French writer Alexandre Dumas’ 19th century novel The Three Musketeers, may have been found under the tiles of a church in the Netherlands near the battlefield where he died fighting more than 3 1/2 centuries ago. The discovery was made earlier in March when the floor tiles of the church were removed for repair after the ground under them had sunk.”