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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.
Migratory Bird Sets World Record for Continuous Flight: Scientists (Maria)
The author writes, “A juvenile bar-tailed godwit — known only by its satellite tag number 234684 — has flown 13,560 kilometers from Alaska to the Australian state of Tasmania without stopping, appearing to set a new world record for marathon bird flights. The five-month-old bird set off from Alaska on October 13 and satellite data appeared to show it did not stop during its marathon flight, which took 11 days and one hour.”
Greg Abbott’s Executive Power Play (Reader Steve)
The authors write, “Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has consolidated power like none before him, at times circumventing the GOP-controlled Legislature and overriding local officials. A flurry of executive measures has solidified his base and raised his national profile.”
Republican Lawmaker Introduces Articles of Impeachment Against Philly DA Larry Krasner (DonkeyHotey)
From the Pennsylvania Capital-Star: “A Republican state lawmaker from Philadelphia introduced articles of impeachment against District Attorney Larry Krasner on Wednesday, days after the committee investigating Krasner’s office released a report blaming his policies for rising crime in the state’s largest city. ‘The city of Philadelphia cannot afford to wait any longer for us to take action on what we already know to be true. That Krasner is responsible for the rise in crime across our city due to his dereliction of duty to prosecute the guilty and to protect the innocent,’ Rep. Martina White, R-Philadelphia, who is the prime sponsor of the articles, said in a news conference Wednesday morning.”
Extremist Groups Are Going Local to Disrupt the Midterms (Mili)
The author writes, “As Election Day draws near, mayors and police chiefs across the country are getting a new warning: Extremists have jettisoned their nationwide election intimidation strategy in favor of local efforts focused on neighborhood ballot boxes. Why it matters: Groups such as the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers are looking to sway the upcoming midterms in favor of their preferred candidates by signing up as poll workers and drop-box watchers.”
Our Buildings Are Making Us Sick (Sean)
The author writes, “Whether we notice it or not, the air we breathe indoors can make us sick. For most of us, it’s not an industrial printer that’s contaminating the air: It could be the pollution from our ovens and stoves or the chemicals off-gassed from everyday household cleaners, or it could be the respiratory diseases exhaled by others we share our spaces with. Our indoor air can become toxic without us realizing it — but indoor spaces aren’t always designed with this in mind.”
Big Pharma Says Drug Prices Reflect R&D Cost. Researchers Call BS (Dana)
From Wired: “Every so often, there are small glimpses behind the curtains into how pharmaceutical companies actually decide on a drug price. An example of this is the hepatitis C drug Sovaldi, which was put on the market in 2013 for a steep $84,000 per 12-week course. In 2015, an 18-month-long US government investigation that reviewed some 20,000 pages of internal company documents revealed that Gilead, the company who owned the drug, had set the high price as a way ‘to ensure its drugs had the greatest share of the market, for the highest price, for the longest period of time — in essence, that it was prioritizing profit.”
The Scary Sound of Earth’s Magnetic Field (Sean)
From the European Space Agency: “Despite being essential to life on Earth, the magnetic field isn’t something we can actually see in itself, or ever hear. But, remarkably, scientists at the Technical University of Denmark have taken magnetic signals measured by ESA’s Swarm satellite mission and converted them into sound — and for something that protects us, the result is pretty scary.”
