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Trail Camera Footage of Southern Arizona’s Jaguar Isn’t Spotty (Maria)
The author writes, “It’s extremely rare for a jaguar to walk in front of a trail camera in Southern Arizona, but don’t tell that to the region’s newest spotted star. A Tucson-based group has released clear, unmistakable video of Cinco the jaguar, nicknamed because he is just the fifth of his endangered species recorded in the U.S. since 2011. The black-and-white footage unveiled this week by the Center for Biological Diversity shows the healthy-looking apex predator moving across a rocky slope in an undisclosed mountain range south of Tucson.”
Statement on Trump Lawsuit and Potential Settlement (Dana)
From the Tax Law Center: “President Trump’s absurd lawsuit seeking $10 billion in damages from the federal government over an IRS contractor’s leak of his tax returns has a troubling new layer. The risk of a collusive settlement enriching the President at the public’s expense was obvious, and now there is indeed reporting suggesting that DOJ and White House officials are evaluating settlement options while the court has raised questions about whether the lawsuit should be allowed to proceed. One of the options that DOJ and White House officials are considering according to new reporting is ‘the I.R.S. dropping any audits of Mr. Trump, his family members or businesses.’ This potential term raises additional ways a settlement, if completed, could be unlawful and deeply concerning, which reporters, lawmakers, oversight bodies, and the public should seek to understand.”
Long DACA Renewal Wait Times Leave Some ‘Dreamers’ Without Status, a Job and Fearing Detainment (Reader Steve)
The author writes, “Renewal wait times for the Obama-era program that allows people who were brought to the U.S. as children to temporarily remain in the country and work have increased to levels not seen since 2016 when there were significant technical issues. Some of the program’s more than 500,000 beneficiaries, often referred to as ‘Dreamers,’ have waited months for an answer only to see their deadline pass without a decision. Now they’re stuck in a type of limbo in which their work authorization disappears, oftentimes along with their driver’s license, and their ability to stay in the U.S. is at risk.”
From V2 Rocket-Scarred London to Ukraine: How Nature Thrives in Bomb Craters (Russ and Siobhán)
From The Guardian: “In the UK capital, Bomb Crater Pond is full of wildlife, while scientists studying land obliterated by recent Russian blasts 1,500 miles away have seen ‘how quickly nature begins to heal itself.’”
What Would Happen If Yellowstone’s ‘Supervolcano’ Erupted Today? (Laura)
From Popular Science: “Though Yellowstone hasn’t had a supereruption in millennia, it’s impossible not to wonder: Will Yellowstone’s so-called supervolcano ever explode again?”
Meet ‘Gabi,’ the Robot That Just Became a Monk at a Buddhist Temple in South Korea. It’s the Latest Robot to Take Up Religious Practice (Angelle)
The author writes, “At first glance, the ceremony held Wednesday morning at a Buddhist temple in downtown Seoul unfolded like any other, with monks processing among rows of colorful hanging lanterns. But one figure stood out from the rest, despite wearing the same robes as the other monks. The four-foot-tall humanoid robot, named Gabi, was unmistakable. ‘Robots are destined to collaborate with humans in every field in the future,’ Hong Min-suk, a manager at the Jogye Order, the largest sect of Buddhism in South Korea, tells the New York Times’ John Yoon. ‘It will only be natural for them to be part of our festival.’”