26 August 20
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25 August 20
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Paul Krugman | QAnon Is Trump's Last, Best Chance
Paul Krugman, The New York Times
Krugman writes: "Last week's Democratic National Convention was mainly about decency - about portraying Joe Biden and his party as good people who will do their best to heal a nation afflicted by a pandemic and a depression."
There were plenty of dire warnings about the threat of Trumpism; there was frank acknowledgment of the toll taken by disease and unemployment; but on the whole the message was surprisingly upbeat.
This week’s Republican National Convention, by contrast, however positive its official theme, is going to be QAnon all the way.
I don’t mean that there will be featured speeches claiming that Donald Trump is protecting us from an imaginary cabal of liberal pedophiles, although anything is possible. But it’s safe to predict that the next few days will be filled with QAnon-type warnings about terrible events that aren’t actually happening and evil conspiracies that don’t actually exist.
LeBron James addresses reporters questions regarding Black Lives Matter protests and the broader anti-police violence movement. (photo: LA Times)
LeBron James Calls Guns a 'Huge Issue' After Jacob Blake Shooting: 'We Think You're Hunting Us'
Ben Golliver, The Washington Post
Golliver writes: "The shooting of Jacob Blake led Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James to directly question the police officers' behavior and to refer to guns as 'a major issue in America.'"
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Stephen Hahn, FDA commissioner, testifies before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, June 23, 2020. (photo: Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images)
FDA Chief Walks Back Key Claim About Convalescent Plasma for Covid-19
Umair Irfan, Vox
Irfan writes: "The Food and Drug Administration whipped up a fierce controversy Sunday when it decided to grant an Emergency Use Authorization, or EUA, for convalescent plasma to be used as a treatment for Covid-19. And by Monday night, FDA commissioner Stephen Hahn admitted on Twitter he had overstated the effectiveness of the treatment."
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9th Air Refueling Squadron KC-10 Extender pilots review a pre-flight checklist June 17, 2020, at Travis Air Force Base, California. (photo: U.S. Air Force)
Michael T. Klare | Robot Generals: Will They Make Better Decisions Than Humans - or Worse?
Michael T. Klare, TomDispatch
Klare writes: "With Covid-19 incapacitating startling numbers of U.S. service members and modern weapons proving increasingly lethal, the American military is relying ever more frequently on intelligent robots to conduct hazardous combat operations."
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Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer speaks during a news conference on March 27, 2019, as he unveils a new Special Committee on Climate Change. (photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Senate Democrats Want to Build a Climate Coalition That Can Take On the Kochs
David Roberts, Vox
Roberts writes: "In March 2019, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer established the Senate Democrats' Special Committee on the Climate Crisis to examine the effects of climate change on the country and develop a strategy to address it."
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Puerto Rico and the Perpetual State of Emergency
Jose Atiles, NACLA
Atiles writes: "On August 16, amid record numbers of new Covid-19 infections, Puerto Rican Governor Wanda Vázquez acknowledged her defeat in a chaotic primary election to former Puerto Rico congressional representative Pedro Pierluisi."
Fire burns in the hollow of an old-growth redwood tree in Big Basin Redwoods State Park, California, Aug. 24, 2020. (photo: Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP)
2,000-Year-Old Redwoods Survive Wildfire at California's Oldest State Park
Associated Press
Excerpt: "When a massive wildfire swept through California's oldest state park last week it was feared many trees in a grove of old-growth redwoods, some of them 2,000 years old and among the tallest living things on Earth, may finally have succumbed."
Though feared destroyed, most of the ancient trees at Big Basin Redwoods State Park withstood the blaze.
But an Associated Press reporter and photographer hiked the renowned Redwood Trail at Big Basin Redwoods State Park on Monday and confirmed most of the ancient redwoods had withstood the blaze. Among the survivors is one dubbed Mother of the Forest.
“That is such good news, I can’t tell you how much that gives me peace of mind,” said Laura McLendon, conservation director for the Sempervirens Fund, an environmental group dedicated to the protection of redwoods and their habitats.
Redwood forests are meant to burn, she said, so reports earlier this week that the state park was “gone” were misleading.
The historic park headquarters is gone, as are many small buildings and campground infrastructure that went up in flames as fire swept through the park about 45 miles south of San Francisco.
“But the forest is not gone,” McLendon said. “It will regrow. Every old growth redwood I’ve ever seen, in Big Basin and other parks, has fire scars on them. They’ve been through multiple fires, possibly worse than this.”
When forest fires, windstorms and lightning hit redwood trees, those that don’t topple can resprout. Mother of the Forest, for example, used to be 329 feet tall, the tallest tree in the park. After the top broke off in a storm, a new trunk sprouted where the old growth had been.
Trees that fall feed the forest floor and become nurse trees from which new redwoods grow. Forest critters, from banana slugs to insects, thrive under logs.
On Monday, Steller’s jays searched for insects around the park’s partially burned outdoor amphitheater and woodpeckers could be heard hammering on trees. Occasionally a thundering crash echoed through the valley as large branches or burning trees fell.
When Big Basin opened in 1902 it marked the genesis of redwood conservation. The park now receives about 250,000 visitors a year from around the world, and millions have walked the Redwood Trail.
The park only recently reopened after COVID-19-related closures and now is closed because of the fire. The road in is blocked by several large trees that fell across it, some waist-high, some still on fire.
While there is a great deal of work to be done rebuilding campgrounds, clearing trails and managing damaged madrones, oaks and firs, Big Basin will recover, McLendon said.
“The forest, in some ways, is resetting,” she said.
State Parks District Superintendent Chris Spohrer said he was pleased to know the redwoods had survived. He said an assessment team had only been able to check buildings so far, and that he hopes they can inspect the trees in the coming days.
“The reason those trees are so old is because they are really resilient,” he said.
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