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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.
Measure 114 Would Tighten Oregon Gun Laws. Here’s What Both Sides Say About It. (Maria)
The author writes, “Oregon Measure 114. Backers call it overdue, common sense gun safety. Opponents say it’s an attack on legal gun owners. The measure, formally called the Reduction of Gun Violence Act, qualified for the ballot on July 18. About a month later, a gunman opened fire at a Bend Safeway, killing two people. It brought home the issue of gun control in Central Oregon. … Passionate opinions on the measure draw a line down the heart of the US Constitution and the Second Amendment.”
The Pennsylvania Senate Race and the Vibes Theory of Politics (Dana)
From Time: “What’s a political vibe, anyway? If a candidate’s character is revealed by their choices, and their personality is observed through their public appearances, then their vibe is a vaporous mixture of both of those things: the general impression they make on a normal person who isn’t paying close attention. (Which is, of course, the vast majority of Americans.) Your vibe is what people who don’t think about politics think about you. Unlike a brand, which can be constructed and curated, a vibe can be enhanced or shaded but cannot truly be faked. An image is crafted by strategists; a vibe is experienced by the voters.”
California Sets Up Age Requirement for Those Handling Political Campaign Bucks (Reader Steve)
From The Mercury News: “No longer will candidates running for office in California be able to rely on a high schooler’s financial wizardry. State regulators … passed a rule prohibiting anyone under the age of 18 to be hired for a position that requires them to sign campaign financial documents under penalty of perjury. … Milpitas councilmember Anthony Phan was found this past May to have violated a number of campaign finance laws — and it was discovered he had hired his 14-year-old cousin as his treasurer during a bid for a council seat in 2016. Phan told authorities he gave the child a Nike shoebox with $43,000 — and the money was later misreported on campaign disclosures forms.”
The Remote Control Killers Behind Russia’s Cruise Missile Strikes on Ukraine (Sean)
The author writes, “Following a six-month-long investigation, Bellingcat and its investigative partners The Insider and Der Spiegel were able to discover a hitherto secretive group of dozens of military engineers with an educational and professional background in missile programming. Phone metadata shows contacts between these individuals and their superiors spiked shortly before many of the high-precision Russian cruise missile strikes that have killed hundreds and deprived millions in Ukraine of access to electricity and heating. The group, which works from two locations — one at the Ministry of Defense headquarters in Moscow and another at the Admiralty headquarters in St. Petersburg — is buried deep within the Russian Armed Forces’ vast ‘Main Computation Center of the General Staff.’”
Russian TV Presenter Accused of Inciting Genocide in Ukraine (Mili)
The author writes, “A pro-Kremlin television presenter has been accused of inciting genocide after calling for Ukrainian children to be ‘drowned’ and ‘burned’ alive during an interview on the state-funded RT channel. Anton Krasovsky, the chief of Russian-language broadcasting for the channel formerly called Russia Today, said Ukrainian children who said they were being occupied by Russia should be ‘thrown in a river with a strong undercurrent.’”
In St. Louis School Shooting, ‘Miles Davis’ Warning Helped (Reader Jim)
From Newser: “It took four minutes for officers to enter Central Visual and Performing Arts High School in St. Louis on Monday following reports of an active shooter. ‘There was no sidewalk conference, there was no discussion,’ Police Commissioner Michael Sack said. … School security officers sounded the alarm after seeing the shooter trying to access locked doors. Sack wouldn’t say how the 2021 graduate got beyond them but noted it was ‘in an aggressive, violent manner,’ per CNN. Teacher Ashley Rench told the AP she heard a bang before the school’s intruder code — ‘Miles Davis is in the building’ — came over the intercom.”
New Zealand Proposes Taxing Cow Burps, Angering Farmers (Laura)
The author writes, “New Zealand’s government … proposed taxing the greenhouse gasses that farm animals make from burping and peeing as part of a plan to tackle climate change. The government said the farm levy would be a world first, and that farmers should be able to recoup the cost by charging more for climate-friendly products. But farmers quickly condemned the plan.”
