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Increasing Use of Renewable Energy in US Yields Billions in Benefits: Study (Maria)
The author writes, “By increasing its use of renewable energy, the US has not only slashed its planet-warming emissions but also improved its air quality, yielding hundreds of billions of dollars of benefits, a new report has found. The study, published in Cell Reports Sustainability on Wednesday and based on publicly available data, focuses on the uptick of renewable energy in the US from 2019 to 2022. … During that time period, by reducing the use of fossil fuel power plants, the nation’s use of wind and solar power cut its carbon dioxide emissions by 900m metric tons, the authors found. That’s the equivalent of taking 71m cars off the road every year.”
The Washington Post Said It Had the Alito Flag Story 3 Years Ago and Chose Not To Publish (Reader Steve)
From the AP: “Nine days after The New York Times reported about the political symbolism of an upside-down American flag that flew at U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito’s home, the Washington Post acknowledged it had the same story more than three years ago and decided not to publish it. The Post’s story was both an extraordinary example of journalistic introspection and an illustration of how coverage of the Supreme Court has changed since the incident itself, shortly after the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection.”
A Timeline of the Government’s Response on Jan. 6, 2021 (DonkeyHotey)
From American Oversight: “The precise timeline of events on Jan. 6, 2021 — the day that a mob of supporters of former President Donald Trump’s false claims of election fraud stormed the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to stop the certification of the presidential election — has emerged as one of the critical open questions about that day. Even before the rioters left the building, there were already conflicting reports about the sequence of events, who knew what, when they knew it, and what actions they took.”
What’s at Stake for the Environment in Mexico’s Upcoming Election? (Laura)
The author writes, “Mexico will hold elections on June 2 that are likely to shape the country for years to come. In addition to president, all 500 deputies in the lower house of Congress and all 128 seats in the Senate are on the ballot. The winners will have to reckon with a host of pressing environmental concerns that range from renewable energy and mining to access to clean water and infrastructure. The main presidential candidates are left-wing Claudia Sheinbaum and right-wing Xóchitl Gálvez, with center-left Jorge Máynez representing a third, dark-horse option. One of them will take over from the polarizing left-wing populist President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO), who isn’t eligible to run again.”
Americans Shrug Over Falling Birthrate (Reader Jim)
From Newsweek: “Americans are not unduly concerned about falling birthrates in the U.S. a new opinion poll conducted exclusively for Newsweek has found. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the general fertility rate has reached a historic low after decreasing almost every year since 2014. Fewer than 3.6 million babies were born in the U.S. in 2023, the lowest annual tally since 1979. The issue is being increasingly discussed by experts and commentators, with X, formerly Twitter, CEO Elon Musk taking to the platform to say that the ‘collapsing birthrate is the biggest danger civilization faces by far.’ Experts have previously told Newsweek that combined with America’s aging population, a huge economic and societal shift is likely on the horizon as the general population ages.”
Oklahoma Gives Incarcerated Survivors of Domestic Violence A New Chance at Freedom (Dana)
The author writes, “On a Wednesday last month, April Wilkens spent her morning glued to the television inside the law library at the Mabel Bassett Correctional Center, Oklahoma’s largest women’s prison. State lawmakers were taking their final vote on the Oklahoma Survivors’ Act, a sentencing reform bill that would give April and other incarcerated survivors of domestic violence a chance at freedom. Wilkens, whose story of abuse helped inspire the legislation, realized it had passed when she started hearing advocates who had attended the vote in person cheering through the speakers. Cheers soon echoed through the prison as Wilkens spread the news.”
The ‘Dead Internet Theory’ Makes Eerie Claims About an AI-Run Web. The Truth Is More Sinister (Sean)
From The Conversation: “If you search ‘shrimp Jesus’ on Facebook, you might encounter dozens of images of artificial intelligence (AI) generated crustaceans meshed in various forms with a stereotypical image of Jesus Christ. Some of these hyper-realistic images have garnered more than 20,000 likes and comments. So what exactly is going on here? The ‘dead internet theory’ has an explanation: AI and bot-generated content has surpassed the human-generated internet. But where did this idea come from, and does it have any basis in reality?”
