May 16

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.

Google Wants to Map the Insides of Buildings (Trevin)

The project is called Tango, and will embed cameras and depth sensors into smartphones and tablets. Users will map indoor spaces with their electronic devices “then publish them, to stitch together a Google Maps of interiors.”

Anonymous Congressman: ‘We’re running a (expletive) casino’ (Jeff C.)

Veteran politician raises curtain on a corrupt Congress enslaved by lobbyists and re-election compulsion in a 65-page manifesto called “The Confessions of Congressman X.”

Another Stunning Trump Lie (Klaus)

When the Washington Post revealed last week that Donald Trump used to call reporters and pretended to be his own spokesperson, the presumptive GOP nominee responded by saying it didn’t happen. Except that it did. Trump likes to be the best. When it comes to brazenly lying in the face of contradictory evidence, he is certainly in a league of his own.

Hate Wayne LaPierre and the Powerful Gun Lobby? Blame the US Government (Dan)

Extensive article detailing the rise of gunsmithing in America, an achievement thanks to federal subsidy, to the eventual split between national commonweal and individual freedom that runs gun politics today.

Analyst: Oil up to $45 ‘isn’t saving anybody’ (Jeff C.)

So much for the fracking “revolution.” Since the start of 2015, 133 North American oil and gas producers and service companies have filed for bankruptcy, owing almost $44 billion. One credit analyst summed up: “You need to see oil sustained at $60 to $65 before you see a real turnaround in profitability for the sector.”

Spike in Google Searches on Moving to Canada – Thanks to Trump (Milicent)

And, for every need, there is an entrepreneur, like the creator of Maplematch.com. This website promises to save Americans from “the unfathomable horror of a Trump presidency” by finding them mates in Canada and — “Making dating great again.”

‘Feel the Bern’ Wiccan Ritual in Oregon (Dan)

Bernie Sanders has tapped into a yet another marginal voter bloc.