|
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.
US Navy Accused of Cover-up Over Radioactive Shipyard Waste (Maria)
The author writes, “The US Navy is covering up dangerous levels of radioactive waste on a 40-acre former shipyard parcel in San Francisco’s waterside Hunters Point neighborhood, public health advocates charge. The land is slated to be turned over to the city as early as next year, and could be used for residential redevelopment. The accusations stem from 2021 navy testing that found 23 samples from the property showed high levels of strontium-90, a radioactive isotope.that replaces calcium in bones and causes cancer. The Environmental Protection Agency raised alarm over the levels, but the Navy in 2022 said its testing was inaccurate.”
Ron DeSantis Is Campaigning on His Record. Judges Keep Saying It’s Unconstitutional (DonkeyHotey)
The author writes, “At Honeyfund, a website for engaged couples to create gift registries that can pay for their honeymoons, [Sara] Margulis’ Florida employees learn about privilege and institutional racism. … DeSantis tried to ban such employee training in 2022, when the Florida Republican championed what he called the Stop WOKE Act. But Honeyfund and others sued on the grounds that the law violated their free speech. A federal judge agreed and blocked it from going into effect. The DeSantis administration then appealed — one of many of the governor’s ongoing legal battles as he pursues the presidency.”
Workers Die in Texas Heat as Greg Abbott’s Water Break Ban Comes Under Fire (Dana)
From Newsweek: “A Texas postal worker collapsed and died on Tuesday amid the stifling heat that has hit the state in recent weeks — an incident that’s likely to exacerbate criticism of Gov. Greg Abbott’s recent water break ban. The man, identified as Eugene Gates Jr., collapsed in a front yard on Tuesday while going door to door in the extreme heat of Dallas, where temperatures have reached 115 F. … On June 13, Abbott signed into law a measure rescinding city and county ordinances requiring mandatory water breaks for construction workers in the same week when many cities across the state reached triple-digit temperatures.”
OceanGate Cofounder Recalls Origins, Defends Late CEO’s Approach to Safety (Reader Steve)
From The Seattle Times: “Stockton Rush and Guillermo Sohnlein sat in front of a whiteboard, trying to figure out what problem they wanted to solve, and how the two entrepreneurs were going to go about solving it. It was 2009, soon after they had met and decided to start a company together. Both were ‘frustrated astronauts’ who wanted to go to space but were thwarted by their bad eyesight. So, they turned to the ocean. … Sohnlein defended Rush’s views on safety — describing him as ‘risk-averse’ — recalled the company’s early origins and expressed hope about the future of ocean exploration.”
The Right-Wing War on Clean Air (Laura)
The author writes, “Steve Milloy, a longtime lobbyist for polluting industries from tobacco to coal to oil and gas, is back in the news thanks to the wildfire smoke that recently blanketed the U.S. East Coast. Milloy appeared on Fox News to tell people that there are ‘no negative health impacts’ from breathing in wildfire smoke. It’s the latest salvo in a war he’s been waging against air pollution regulation since the 1980s.”
Texas Carmelites Case Reflects the Vatican’s New Culture of Ecclesial Punishments (Al)
From the National Catholic Register: “The curious case of the Carmelites in Texas brings attention to a culture shift in the Church. Ecclesiastical punishment has made a return. Indeed, one of the hallmarks of the Pope Francis pontificate is that punishment is back, sometimes fiercely so.”
He Has Flown 23 Million Miles. Here Are His Travel Secrets. (Reader Jim)
The author writes, “So you’re going to fly this summer? Europe, maybe? And you’re dreading flying the way cats hate baths? Well, you need to talk to the man who’s flown more miles than any human being in history — 23 million so far, or 22 million more than Apollo 11. His name is Tom Stuker — a 69-year-old New Jersey car dealership consultant — and he’s the biggest mistake United Airlines ever made. In 1990, United offered a lifetime pass for $290,000. Stuker jumped on it and has pretty much lived in seat 1B — his favorite — ever since.”
