Unmasked: The Illegal, Covert, and Costly Operations Behind ICE Authority
Be All the Fake Cop You Can Be — As a Private Contractor Deputy
Recent Stories
Some Exceptions Apply
The “No War” president revises his terms of service.
Japan’s New Seafloor Monitors to Drive Quake Early Warning System
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.
How America’s Prairie Was Nearly Destroyed — And Why It Should Be Restored
A new book traces the environmental collapse of a crucial ecosystem and how its return could fight climate change.
Israel’s ‘Dirty Harry Moment’: How 12 Days Changed the Middle East Forever
Former Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren reveals the “original sin” and decades-long miscalculation that led to this moment — and what comes next.
Bezos Holds Three-Day ‘Tax the Rich’ Rally in Venice
It’s tough to say when Americans will finally be sufficiently fed up with the excesses of unrestrained capitalism… but this weekend would be a good time.
Hegseth Diagnoses Trump With Narcissistic Personality Disorder
Without realizing it, Pete Hegseth told us something important about Donald Trump’s mental health.
Could New Invention Clean Up Cargo Fleets?
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.
Donald, You Can’t Just Make It All Up — Reality Always Gets the Last Word
Karl Rove was wrong: Creating your own reality is not just dangerous; it’s ultimately futile.
Nairobi Community Offers Wildlife a Corridor Out of the City
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.
Trump vs. Birds: Proposed Budget Eliminates Critical Research Programs
Experts say there’s “no substitute” for the Bird Banding Laboratory or the Breeding Bird Survey, which help reveal the health and status of avian populations across the country.
New Yorkers Reject the Status Cuomo; Mamdani Shows Democrats a Path Forward
The Democratic primary for New York mayor offers lessons that have nothing to do with apparent winner Zohran Mamdani’s specific policies, and everything with the type of candidate he is.
Yes, the Iran Thing Kinda Worked Out, But Let’s Not Forget That Trump Is Nuts
Even on a day in which he celebrated a genuine success, Donald Trump can’t help being totally weird.
Largest Digital Camera Ever Built Has Released First Shots of the Universe
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.
Explosion in the Ratings
Trump launches a plot twist into the narrative.
Trumpworld: This Week’s Ride on the Crazy Carousel
We begin with bombs and end with tubas.
GOP Congresswoman Blames the Left for Her Run-In With Florida’s Abortion Law
Kat Cammack doesn’t blame the Republicans who passed the six-week abortion limit for throwing her miscarriage treatment into legal limbo — she blames the left for talking about it too much.
Orcas Seen Grooming Each Other With Kelp In First For Marine Tool Use
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.
Trump Bombs Iran and Nukes the Constitution
With his attack on Iran Saturday night, Donald Trump dragged the US to the verge of a war he has no authority to declare.
Crisis Actors — A Cabinet Picked for Appearances Faces Trump-made Challenges
Donald Trump is plunging the country, and the world, from one crisis to the next, and his cabinet, which was chosen for reasons unrelated to competence, is ill-equipped to handle any of them.
An Open Letter to ICE Agents: You Don’t Have to Do This
Dictators can only do their evil deeds if they can count on enough henchmen to do their bidding. But what happens if they stop going along to end up on the right side of history?
Balancing Acts
And hidden symmetries
Cool as ICE
Many are called, few are chosen … to be secret deportation gestapo.
One Small Thing: No Kings Is Only a Start
Protesting is more than hitting the streets with a sign. Be safe, be prepared, be helpful every day, not just one.
Saturday Hashtag: #HumanoidsUnbound
Welcome to Saturday Hashtag, a weekly place for broader context.
The Most Dangerous Corporation in America
Peter Thiel’s Palantir epitomizes the potential perversion of miraculous technology to nefarious purposes.
Six Experts Weigh in on Accelerating Global Energy Transition
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.
The American Economy: Coasting on Fumes but Built to Last
Despite global chaos, America’s economy shows puzzling resilience in the face of emerging capital flight, dangerous policy uncertainty, and spiraling debt.
Everybody Now Agrees That Bombing Hospitals Is Bad
Iran is offering some pretty flimsy excuses to explain how dozens of people were injured in a missile attack that hit a hospital… and Israel is not buying them.
Good News About New York City’s Beech Leaf Disease Battle
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.
State Bills Are Redefining Gas as ‘Clean Energy’
Dark money groups with ties to oil and gas are behind a legislative campaign to thwart local energy transitions.
News Outlets Could Make a Simple Change to Highlight ICE’s Gestapo Tactics
To get more Americans to pay attention to how the Trump administration is trying to turn the US into a police state, the media needs to do a better job of describing the actions of masked ICE goons.
US Researchers Are Speaking Up for Science in Local Newspapers
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.
Trump and Iran: How His Parade Bomb Could Mean Bombs Away
It would be deja vu, except that Bush, Powell, and Rumsfeld were arguably sane.
Trump Silences Dissent in the Military
With dissent punished, critical thinking suppressed, and standards lowered — the military becomes easier to control and less able to defend the Constitution. What orders will they follow?
Ukraine Is Still Waiting for Donald Trump To Deliver
Sending US Marines to fight protesters in Los Angeles is one thing. Trump still has to deal with his boast that he could solve Ukraine in a single day.
Trump Tries Out Being a Warmonger and Likes It
Donald Trump, who ran on the promise of keeping the US out of international conflicts, is gearing up for war.
Ant No Stopping Us Now: Ant With Potent Bite Marching Across US
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.
The Myth of the Cowboy and Its Enduring Influence on Public Policy
Livestock ranchers receive undue praise and tax dollars while they disregard damage to life on the planet, in a political climate that prioritizes profit.
Lethal Show of Birthday Cheer
Trump’s strongman birthday was no gift to anyone.
NASA Teams Up With India to Launch First-of-Its-Kind $1.5B Satellite
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.
Under Trump: Morality, Ethics, Kindness, and Sanity Are So Over
Fake “crises,” lies, and chaos: We’re watching the warp-speed enshittification of our politics.
GOP Lawmakers Get Ready to Pretend They Haven’t Seen Trump’s Latest Diatribe
After a weekend that saw the politically motivated killing of a senior Democrat, Donald Trump felt it was a good time to post an insane rant that will surely incite more violence.
Mike Lee Impressively Proves That He Is an Awful Person
Maybe it would have been better for Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) to stay off social media this weekend. Then again, now we know what kind of person he is.
History Buff Trump: Deal Between Iran and Israel Is Easy
Donald Trump isn’t known for knowing things. But his assertion that a peace deal between Iran and Israel is easily achievable is ignorant even for him.
The Key to the Success of Right-Wing Influencers Is a Gullible Audience
Democrats are searching for “their Joe Rogan.” Here is why that is an exercise in futility.
Saturday Hashtag: #AIVulnerabilityCrisis
Welcome to Saturday Hashtag, a weekly place for broader context.
Milquetoast Revolution
Apathy: An underrated tool of protest.
From Gridlock To Green Light: 3 Focus Points for Hydrogen Energy Success
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.
Stopping Trump: It’s the Economy, Stupid!
We need a weapon Trump can’t turn against us.