‘7 stories you need to know’ new monday series Here are some stories that may have been ignored in the deluge of news over the past few weeks, and some that continued to evolve over the weekend. Read the health, science and climate coverage that often appears at the top of the page, plus information from local sources that may have been overlooked by national media.
1. Trump’s Weekend of Madness, and the Media’s Continued Silence
Donald Trump spoke Saturday at the Faith and Liberty Coalition conference at the Washington Hilton. The next day, Trump rarely attended He described the rally in Philadelphia as “one of the most serious places anywhere in the world.”
Between these two events, Trump delivered the moment every campaign should have ended. But don't expect to see pundits reviewing these statements on Monday morning, as the media has decided to grant Trump special immunity for any truth or validity.
Some of these clips included the kind of nonsensical ramblings that fill so much time at Trump rallies, such as bubbles, showers, extended riffs on his hair and why “they don't want you to drink the water.”
Other moments were absolute nightmare fuel, like this one where Trump threatened to take off his clothes and reveal his “beautiful, beautiful body” with the stigma of fighting for justice.
“I can tell you that I’ve been hurt a lot,” he said. “More than any president I can think of.”
And then there was Trump's proposal to pit immigrants against each other in the entertainment arena.
“This is not the worst idea I’ve ever had,” Trump said. Surprisingly, that's true. But because he had a really terrible idea.
Finally, there is the moment when Trump tells the Faith and Liberty crowd that this time they should get out and vote. But after 4 years… Do not worry.
“Don’t vote in four years, I don’t care,” he said. “But we will make everything right, so things will be a lot different.”
This is far, far From a comprehensive list. Trump's two speeches also included other moments when he simply seemed off track or lied as usual about the economy, crime and the 2020 election. But this set of statements would be enough to disqualify you anyway.
Anyone can do this without any special treatment.
2. A solar boom is occurring due to plummeting prices.
For months, fossil fuel companies have been trying to push one of the most ridiculous ideas in history. America needs to give up renewable energy and burn more coal. we need that strength To promote large-scale server farms Behind AI.
While it's foolish to burn the planet for better chatbots, it's also unquestionable that we must rely on fossil fuels to meet our growing energy needs. Because now we are seeing a solar energy boom that is exceeding all expectations.
Rocky Mountain Research Institute reportThe world is experiencing one of those rare moments when complementary technologies are simultaneously becoming radically cheaper and more available, leading to a “clean technology revolution.”
If you are pessimistic about the climate crisis, please take a moment to read this report. This is a story about realities that shatter the most optimistic predictions and technological solutions that continue to break through all expected barriers.
The biggest problem with solar power right now may be that it's just not possible.Yes, it's cheap. Prices plummeted. Less than $0.10 per watt The rapid increase in solar panel production capacity has outstripped our ability to plan and install more capacity.
What's most striking about the report's findings, aside from how quickly solar power and battery storage are expanding, is the message that “we don't have to do anything when China continues to produce dirty power” in the U.S. This is how we have maintained it. China has established itself as a leader in solar power generation.
Propaganda is always harmful.
3. Steve Bannon isn't getting as luxurious accommodation as he had hoped.
Trump's advisor Steve Bannon expected He was scheduled to go to prison on July 1, but he An urgent objection was filed He appeared in the Supreme Court on Friday after the appeals court denied his request to keep him out of jail while awaiting another appeal.
But unless Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito protect him with their unethical arms, Bannon will have to turn himself in next week or visit friends in foreign dictatorships.
There is a reason why Bannon is more desperate than he was a week ago. didn't get it The federal tennis camp he wanted.
Instead of the minimum-security camps where many non-violent offenders serve their sentences, Bannon, now a right-wing podcaster with a loyal following of Trump supporters, is scheduled to report to a low-security federal prison in Danbury, Connecticut, next month. , one of the sources told CNN.
Because Bannon is still charged with the “We Build the Wall” hoax, he does not deserve the lowest level of federal prison. Connecticut's low-security prisons aren't likely to be very successful. Sweating in the fields of Angola. There are probably lower grade Toilette Chardonnays out there though.
But the best part of this story may have been Bannon's charm.
Bannon's attorneys wrote to the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in D.C. that his incarceration should not occur this summer, following the trial judge's order. Because, he said, “I’m going to be in jail for four months until the November election.” , at a time when millions of Americans look to him for information on important campaign issues,” according to Bannon’s latest filing.
That's…sad? Are you sad? I think there should be something else to say. Maybe it's “fun.”
4. Alzheimer's research is full of great hopes and repeated failures
It sometimes seems impossible to go a week without hearing about an apparent miracle in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. A Japanese research team certainly did that last week. Reported on treatment. Not only did it slow the heartbreaking progression of the disease, it actually reversed its effects.
Researchers not only successfully reversed the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease and restored both memory and abilities, but they also achieved this with a treatment using a synthetic peptide that easily crosses the blood-brain barrier and is therefore easy to administer.
And the only problem with this miracle is that it happened in rats.
The entire history of Alzheimer's disease is absolutely full of potential treatments that worked wonders in vitro, repeated these miracles in animal models, and then turned out to be ineffective or actively harmful in human trials.
like sound It includes reports, a series of recent failures of widely known drugs, and a series of what appear to be groundbreaking papers. has now been withdrawnAlzheimer's research suggests we are several steps away from the kind of solution we need.
In particular, a 2006 paper appears to have identified exactly what needs to be fixed to treat Alzheimer's disease. It is amyloid plaque. However, drugs that target plaque formation or attempt to remove plaque have been shown to have little effect on the course of the disease. After working toward that goal for 20 years, researchers are now faced with the terrible truth that it is simply wrong.
The 2006 paper was a major breakthrough in understanding how Alzheimer's disease works, providing a precise mechanism that supports the prevailing theory about the disease.
But that, as we now know, was a fraudulent discovery. Instead, the retraction adds to the suspicion that we may be somehow misunderstanding this most fatal affliction.
I support Japanese researchers. It really is. Perhaps this is the breakthrough we need. Maybe it's a rare drug that's just as effective in humans as it is in animal models.
But while researchers are certainly not back to square one, real victory over Alzheimer's appears to be further away than it was decades ago.
5. How drivers beat Uber and Lyft in Minnesota
If you watch the video at the end of this article, you'll encounter the highly technical science of “Enshitification,” the process by which online services become increasingly worse over time. These processes not only harm consumers, but also the people involved in running these services. In the case of Uber and Lyft, they regularly tighten the screws on their drivers so they can meet higher standards while keeping less money. standard.
And always put your drivers in the position of contractors, not employees.
However, as NPR Despite a hardline campaign from both customers and state lawmakers warning of rising prices and threats of service cuts, Minnesota's drivers have outlasted the company, according to the report.
Spokespeople for Uber and Lyft said the proposed minimum wage would have made it impossible for the companies to maintain business in the state. Uber said it would have made Minnesota “one of the most expensive markets in the country,” while Lyft said “prices would have risen so much that ride requests would have fallen 51 percent.”
In other states, this argument and massive amounts of lobbying money, including $108 million in California, have resulted in companies winning carve-outs that do not require them to pay drivers. In Washington, state lawmakers returned to provide special exemptions after passing a law specifically designed to address online service workers.
But in Minnesota, drivers won despite extensive lobbying and corporate pressure. That is, until the bill reaches Gov. Tim Walz's desk.
Days before the expected signing, the companies announced tactics they have used in California, New York, Texas and other states. They threatened to leave the state if the bill was signed into law.
It worked. Walz vetoed the bill.
But even when forced to return to the beginning, the driver did not stop. Seriously, if you want to feel frustrated, excited, frustrated again, and triumphant, read the whole thing. Spoiler alert – in the end, the drivers won, the company stayed, and everyone was happy except the ride-hailing company executives who missed out on all the undeserved profits they made by underpaying their workers.
Now about other states…
6. Perhaps with your help, scientists can figure out how memory works.
It's been a few years since I've targeted the Daily Kos community. Zooniverse, a site where ordinary people can participate to help advance groundbreaking research. Those projects included searching for comets, translating ancient texts, and recovering the forgotten history of black communities. I once named a chimpanzee after watching it teach a toddler how to use a stone tool on a trail camera from 5,000 miles away.
All of this is possible thanks to the researchers at Zooniverse who make the information accessible to non-experts. A few hours of training could help you recover data from an old ship's logbook or identify planets around distant stars.
And yes, it is. Humans can still do this task better than AI.
The latest project is synapse safarirepresents a dataset from the Rosalind Franklin Institute and Center for Development Neurobiology. decide How neuronal networks are formed. It may sound intimidating, and you may have no idea what a “synaptic vesicle” is, let alone how to identify it in an image.
But don't worry. Take a look at the tutorial and give it a try. And don't worry about being right all the time. Do your best. For science!
7. You are not wrong. everything on the internet is getting worse
Whenever a new online service is launched, it has to be significantly better than past services to attract people's attention, attract valuable investment, and eventually enable the founders to cash out enough money. Or at least it should be much better. money to join Elon Musk's Billionaire Boys Club Dine with Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago. Want more caviar? It's okay if I do it.
But it's somewhere between a fresh and exciting startup and an established service that you use every day. Dislike There is a process called “Enshitification”. Here's why things that were good to begin with almost always end up getting worse.