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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.
San Francisco Holds Its Breath to Find Out How Much Protecting Waterfront Will Cost (Maria)
The author writes, “On a brisk February morning, a portable orange traffic sign set up near the intersection of Mission Street and Embarcadero shuddered in the wind, blinking a warning to passing drivers: ‘Caution: King tides.’ Waves from San Francisco Bay now regularly breach the pier and spill into the streets at this spot during tidal surges and helped convince city officials that sea level rise caused by climate change is no longer a problem that can be ignored. ‘It was into my second year that I realized that my whole job and the organization was going to do this work,’ [said] Port of San Francisco executive director Elaine Forbes. … ‘You’re on the line of defense.’”
Brett Kavanaugh Just Made the Best Argument for Saving the Internet (DonkeyHotey)
From Slate: “During oral arguments at the Supreme Court on Tuesday, a police officer asked several children to leave the courtroom after they fell conspicuously asleep. Who could blame them, though? The case, Gonzalez v. Google, was supposed to be a blockbuster, handing the justices an opportunity to eviscerate Section 230 — a landmark law that’s frequently described as ‘the 26 words that created the internet.’ Republican politicians have spent years gunning for the statute, which shields websites from liability over third parties’ posts, arguing that it allows Big Tech to silence conservative voices. Some progressives, meanwhile, are disgruntled by the expansive immunity it grants to monopolistic corporations like Meta and Google.”
Putin, Czar With No Empire, Needs Military Victory for His Own Survival (Russ)
The authors write, “President Vladimir Putin likes to portray himself as a new czar like Peter the Great or Ivan III, the 15th-century grand prince known as the ‘gatherer of the Russian lands.’ But Putin’s year-long war in Ukraine has failed so far to secure the lands he aims to seize, and, in Russia, there is fear that he is leading his nation into a dark period of strife and stagnation or worse. Some in the elite also say the Russian leader now desperately needs a military victory to ensure his own survival. ‘In Russia, loyalty does not exist,’ said one Russian billionaire.”
The New York Times Is Repeating One of Its Most Notorious Mistakes (Gerry)
From The Nation: “The paper’s anti-trans coverage parallels its failings over gay rights and AIDS. But the Times appears determined not to learn from its own history.”
WA Could Narrow Reasons for Traffic Stops in New Police Reform Effort (Reader Steve)
The author writes, “This year, [Washington] state lawmakers could make it less likely you’ll get stopped by police for a problem with your car, in the wake of police killings that began with a traffic stop. House Bill 1513 would largely prevent police from stopping drivers for issues such as a broken taillight or expired tabs, and advocates say it would allow officers to focus on safety issues on the road and could reduce racial disparities in traffic stops.”
What Do We Know About Marburg Virus Disease? (Mili)
The author writes, “The World Health Organization announced that Equatorial Guinea confirmed its first outbreak of Marburg virus disease, after one sample tested positive. Nine deaths and 16 suspected cases have also been linked to the outbreak. There have previously been sporadic outbreaks of the virus throughout sub-Saharan Africa, and the rare case in travelers, mostly returning from African countries. Currently, there is no vaccine or antiviral treatment for this hemorrhagic fever, which can cause severe illness and death. Here is what the scientific community has learned so far about Marburg virus disease.”
The James Webb Space Telescope Discovers Enormous Distant Galaxies That Should Not Exist (Dana)
From Space: “Nobody expected them. They were not supposed to be there. And now, nobody can explain how they had formed. Galaxies nearly as massive as the Milky Way and full of mature red stars seem to be dispersed in deep field images obtained by the James Webb Space Telescope (Webb or JWST) during its early observation campaign, and they are giving astronomers a headache. These galaxies, described in a new study based on Webb’s first data release, are so far away that they appear only as tiny reddish dots to the powerful telescope.”
