8.24.2017

Texas.
A federal judge knocked down an updated Texas voter ID law, saying that the new language did not go far enough in removing "impermissible discriminatory effects" from an original 2011 law. The previous bill - challenged in court by the Obama administration - required voters to show one of seven possible forms of identification to vote. The updated law did not expand the list - gun licenses, but not student IDs, are considered acceptable - but allowed those without identification to sign an affidavit along with providing paperwork with their name and address (like bills). Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos said criminal charges associated with the affidavit would deter voters afraid of making a mistake on the forms (full decision here).

Permafrost.
As first reported by the New York Times on Wednesday (paywall), Alaskan permafrost is thawing faster than expected, feeding a warming cycle in the sub-arctic region. Permafrost - when the ground is frozen for at least two consecutive years - often contains frozen organic matter - or dead plants and animals and their waste. When they thaw, they release greenhouse gases like methane and carbon dioxide. As Alaska warms, and the permafrost thaws, the region has seen two times the warming as the rest of the globe. The biggest concern is a runaway cycle where thawing permafrost causes warming, which causes thawing. Scientists project the warming would be about 1.7 degrees - and happen over centuries - but would happen independent of any man-made warming. 

Transgender Ban.
Details on White House guidance to implement a proposed ban on transgender service members were reported yesterday (original article behind WSJ paywall), and gives Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis six months to prepare to implement the ban. The memo places a ban on new enlistment of transgender civilians, and for current troops, the Pentagon must assess a member's "deployability" - their ability to serve in an active environment - before determining whether to expel them. The military will also stop paying for related medical treatments. A 2016 report estimated there were 2,400 active-duty transgender service members, and that about 65 would pursue gender reassignments each year, at a total cost of $2.9 to $4.5 million each year. The guidance is expected to be issued within a few days. 

Long-awaited DOE report throws lifeline to coal, nuclear (More)
Lab-made 'mini-organs' help Docs treat cystic fibrosis (More)
Report: Racial health disparities narrowed under Obamacare (More)
 

WPP issues warning on advertising market growth, shares fall 10% (More)
Walmart & Google partner on voice-activated shopping service to rival Amazon  (More)
Forbes' annual 40 under 40 - most influential young entrepreneurs (More)
 

Historic: San Francisco 49ers hire first openly gay coach (More)
Iconic Banksy art uncovered after a decade missing (More)
Taylor Swift announces Nov. 10 release for new album (More)
 

50M Pakistanis at risk of arsenic poisoning from groundwater (More)
US Diplomats in Cuba suffer brain damage from unknown sonic attack (More)
Clinton book What Happened to be published Sept. 12  (More)

NBC News | Jon Schuppe. America's bail system is based on a glaring inequality - the ability to buy your freedom before trial. This may seem obvious, but alternatives are not. Now states like New Jersey and Kentucky are turning to algorithms and Big Data to quantify the public risk of granting pretrial release to any particular defendant. While not a panacea, pretrial detentions - the largest driver of an increasing prison population - have already come down by a third in New Jersey. 

GQ | Rachel Kaadzi Ghansah. A deep dive into what - places, education, family - turned Dylann Roof into a white supremacist mass murderer. Equally fascinating is what was not revealed, with very few of those interviewed acknowledging the forces that shaped Roof, and the spaces that allowed his hatred to grow, despite their obvious presence.

UberCab: See Uber's first pitch deck.

8 of the worst fantasy football punishments for finishing last.

Health tips from places where living to 100 is common.

The Top 10 friendliest cities in the US.

No one knows if the poll showing Kid Rock leading his senate race is real - and that's a real problem.

How to get better at "reflective learning".

Interview: George R.R. Martin does not watch Game of Thrones.

Slap a Lamborghini logo on an average phone and the price goes up to $2,450.

Dad creates app that forces kids to reply to texts.

The 25 Greatest Comedies of all time, according to the BBC.

Historybook: Mt Vesuvius erupts (79); Printing of the Gutenberg Bible is completed (1456); British forces capture Washington, D.C (1814); HBD potato chips (1853); Amelia Earhart completes first transcontinental non-stop flight by a woman (1932); Yasser Arafat born (1933); HBD Dave Chappelle (1973); Hurricane Andrew hits South Florida (1992); Windows 95 debuts (1995).

"NEVER DO THINGS OTHERS CAN AND WILL DO, IF THERE ARE THING OTHERS CANNOT OR WILL NOT DO."
-Amelia Earhart

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