|
Listen To This Story
 |
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.
New Jersey Overhauls Concealed Carry Gun Restrictions (Maria)
The author writes, “Gov. Phil Murphy on Thursday signed a sweeping — and intensely debated — law that will overhaul and strictly limit how and where you can legally carry a concealed handgun in New Jersey in the wake of a recent US Supreme Court decision that effectively made it easier to get carry permits. But the state is already set to face court challenges over the measure, the same way New York has over a similar law.”
Exclusive: Biden Task Force Investigating How US Tech Ends Up in Iranian Attack Drones Used Against Ukraine (DonkeyHotey)
From CNN: “The Biden administration has launched an expansive task force to investigate how US and western components, including American-made microelectronics, are ending up in Iranian-made drones Russia is launching by the hundreds into Ukraine, multiple officials familiar with the effort tell CNN. The US has imposed tough export control restrictions and sanctions to prevent Iran from obtaining high-end materials, but evidence has emerged that suggests Iran is finding an abundance of commercially-available technology.”
Defenses Carved Into the Earth (Russ)
The authors write, “Trenches are not new to Ukraine. Trench warfare has long been a feature of the battle in eastern Ukraine for the Donbas region. Ukrainians fight from their own trenches on their side of the line near Popasna, where Russians are waging an intense campaign to dislodge Ukrainian troops from the city of Bakhmut. But the pace and the scale of Russian construction over the last couple of months is unmatched. … The fortifications show how Russia’s military is trying to set up more robust, defensible positions against Ukrainian pressure, often with the help of natural obstacles like rivers.”
How Female Iranian Activists Use Powerful Images to Protest Oppressive Policies (Dana)
From The Conversation: “Images of unveiled Iranian women and adolescent girls standing atop police cars or flipping off the ayatollah’s picture have become signature demonstrations of dissent in the past few months of protest in Iran. In fact, among the Iranian protest photos selected for inclusion in Time magazine’s list of the ‘Top 100 Photos of 2022’ are one of women running from military police brigades and another of an unveiled woman standing on a car with hands raised.”
She Was an ABC News Producer. She Also Was a Corporate Operative (Sean)
From Floodlight and NPR: “A freelance reporter for ABC News used her media credentials to target elected officials who were trouble for powerful Florida industries, while being paid by a consulting firm that has represented Florida Power & Light and the sugar company Florida Crystals, a joint investigation by Floodlight and NPR reveals.”
As ‘Mr. Christmas’ Fights Cancer, His Former Students Bring the Holiday to Him (Russ)
The author writes, “Nearly 100 Peary High School alumni surprised longtime English and drama teacher Vincent Gibbs with carols and speeches outside of his Germantown home on Saturday.”
Wood-Eating Clams Use Their Feces to Dominate Their Habitat (Mili)
The author writes, “Researchers didn’t know what to make of sunken pieces of wood that were so thoroughly chewed-up by clams that the wood crumbled in their hands. It turns out, the super-chewer wood-eating clams had a secret weapon for forcing out other species. The clams, who have special adaptations that let them survive in dirty, low-oxygen water, built chimneys out of their own feces, making the wood a ‘crappy’ home for any animal except them.”
