Good news on human ingenuity, rights
The free section of this week’s Fix the News celebrates the Artemis II moon mission, a surge in women’s rights, clean energy and more.
Among the items in the section requiring a subscription:
— Wind and solar power are insulating Britain and the European Union from fossil fuel price spikes triggered by the Iran war, according to Carbon Brief and PV Tech.
— Researchers have genetically engineered super tobacco plants that can produce five natural psychedelics — psilocin and psilocybin found in magic mushrooms, DMT from the ayahuasca plant, and bufotenin and 5-methoxy-DMT secreted by the Sonoran Desert toad — at one time, report ScienceAdvances and Futurism.
The goal isn’t to get high for recreational purposes but to provide a sustainable way to produce compounds to treat depression and other mental health conditions.
— Scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have created a new aluminum alloy that enables recycled aluminum to meet the strength and durability standards needed for modern vehicles. The technology could slash energy use, reduce imports, and unlock a huge new supply of domestic aluminum, says Science Daily.
‘It’s me.’ Hungary’s Orbán doesn’t duck responsibility for defeat.
U.S. urges countries to back ‘trade over aid’ plan as UN warns against privatizing assistance
Ten-day ceasefire agreed to by Israel, Lebanon goes into effect
Europe has ‘maybe 6 weeks of jet fuel left,’ says International Energy Agency chief
House extends Section 702 program of Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act for 2 weeks amid standoff over privacy provisions
Politico: Tulsi Gabbard told Trump in early February she had reservations about reauthorizing FISA Section 702 without reforms
Acting head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Todd Lyons to step down
Trump-appointed commission approves design concepts for arch, an underground visitor center, painting granite exterior of EEOB
Judge blocks above-ground construction of Trump ballroom; administration appeals
Trump ‘is a constitutional emergency,’ mental health professionals say in letter to congressional leaders
Minnesota charges ICE officer with assault, in apparent first for actions during immigration enforcement crackdown
Senate Republicans send Trump a resolution to lift mining ban near Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area
Democrat Analilia Mejia wins New Jersey special election to fill Mikie Sherrill seat
Nearly 200 organizations urge Trump administration, Puerto Rico governor to restore $350 million for solar, battery power
Heather Cox Richardson on Hungary, Gabbard support for Trump attacks on those he perceives as his enemies, more
ChatGPT maker OpenAI shifting its focus to business users amid Anthropic pressure
WSJ: How the New York Stock Exchange went all in on crypto
Polymarket trader made $300,000 betting on Biden pardons, new analysis shows
Trump to nominate Dr. Erica Schwartz, who’s publicly supported vaccines, as CDC director
Vaccine standoff and other key moments from RFK Jr.’s first congressional hearing since September
KFF on AI chatbots being marketed as therapy apps: There’s little evidence they work, little regulation