Maine’s Governor Signs Nation’s Strictest Internet Privacy Protection Bill
Michael Flynn Fires His Legal Team ; Wild Bees Are Making Nests Using Discarded Plastic ; and More Picks
Thousands Could Perish Annually in US If Global Heating Not Curbed, Study Finds (Chris)
The author writes, “Once the average worldwide temperature rises to 3C (5.4F) above the pre-industrial period nearly 5,800 people are expected to die each year in New York City during particularly hot years, more than 2,500 are forecast to die annually in Los Angeles and more than 2,300 lives will be lost annually in Miami.”
Indefinite Solitary Confinement in New York Is Finally Put to the Test (Chris)
From the Appeal: The best hope for [prisoners] in administrative segregation lies with the Humane Alternatives to Long-Term (HALT) Solitary Confinement Act, a comprehensive reform bill [mandating] that anyone separated from the general prison population for more than 15 consecutive days be transferred to a residential rehabilitation unit … The bill passed in the New York State Assembly in 2018, but did not have enough votes to pass in the State Senate. This year it does. But it still faces fierce opposition from the New York State Correctional Officers & Police Benevolent Association.”
Michael Flynn Fires Legal Team With Sentencing Looming on Federal Charges (DonkeyHotey)
The author writes, “Flynn’s decision to change attorneys at this late stage is unusual and has triggered speculation in legal and political circles that he’s considering backing out of his plea deal with the government in a play for a presidential pardon.”
Thirty Years Ago, Voters Forced Shutdown of Rancho Seco Nuclear Plant (Reader Steve)
From the Sacramento Bee: “With the defeat of Measure K, Sacramento became the first community in the world to close a nuclear plant by public vote. Phil Angelides, the former state treasurer, was a local businessman in Sacramento at the time, and he was involved in the movement to close Rancho Seco. ‘The plant was an enormous liability for Sacramento,’ Angelides said. ‘It was first generation plant technology, it just didn’t function.’”
Wild Bees Are Building Their Homes From Plastic — and Scientists Aren’t Sure Why (Mili)
The author writes, “more research needs to be done before scientists can outline the potential impact plastic might have on bees, but the nest building shows that bees are highly adaptive to changing environments.”
