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It’s time for the leaders of Saudi Arabia and Iran to start a dialogue

It’s time for the leaders of Saudi Arabia and Iran to start a dialogue

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Hossein Mousavian and Abdulaziz Sager write: We write as citizens and foreign policy veterans of two countries that most Americans presume are locked in mortal combat: Iran and Saudi Arabia. In fact, after decades of proxy conflict and frozen ties between our countries, we believe now is the time to explore a new foundation for a lasting peace in our region. Neither of us is a starry-eyed idealist. We are both hardened realists with distrust for one another, and that…

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Inside the nucleus, genes’ activity may depend on their location

Inside the nucleus, genes’ activity may depend on their location

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Jordana Cepelewicz writes: The nucleus of a cell has something in common with a cardboard box full of kittens: People get so fascinated by the contents that they overlook the container. The nucleus itself is often treated as no more than a featureless membranous bag for holding the vitally dynamic genetic material. Yet in fact it has specialized parts and an internal architecture of its own, and scientists have long speculated that precisely how the DNA positions itself with respect…

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One of the most effective anti-Trump groups is now tackling voter suppression in the states

One of the most effective anti-Trump groups is now tackling voter suppression in the states

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The Daily Beast reports: One of the foremost agitators of the Trump administration is turning its sights on state governments in the hope it can turn the tide of voter suppression efforts. American Oversight, which launched after the 2016 election with the goal of digging into the unseemly underpinnings of the current president, is launching what it calls a “State Accountability Project.” The objective is, in practice, similar to what the organization currently does. But this time, the target is…

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Should the media sever their ties to Facebook?

Should the media sever their ties to Facebook?

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Mathew Ingram writes: With all that has transpired between Facebook and the media industry over the past couple of years—the repeated algorithm changes, the head fakes about switching to video, the siphoning off of a significant chunk of the industry’s advertising revenue—most publishers approach the giant social network with skepticism, if not outright hostility. And yet, the vast majority of them continue to partner with Facebook, to distribute their content on its platform, and even accept funding and resources from…

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There is no evidence of a connection between undocumented immigrants and crime

There is no evidence of a connection between undocumented immigrants and crime

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The New York Times reports: A lot of research has shown that there’s no causal connection between immigration and crime in the United States. But after one such study was reported on jointly by The Marshall Project and The Upshot last year, readers had one major complaint: Many argued it was unauthorized immigrants who increase crime, not immigrants over all. An analysis derived from new data is now able to help address this question, suggesting that growth in illegal immigration…

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Rep. Rashida Tlaib lambastes GOP lawmakers for ‘twisting’ her comments about the Holocaust

Rep. Rashida Tlaib lambastes GOP lawmakers for ‘twisting’ her comments about the Holocaust

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HuffPost reports: Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) is pushing back against Republican lawmakers and accusing them of twisting her words to push a “racist and hateful agenda.” Tlaib, who in January became the first Palestinian-American woman in Congress, spoke about the Holocaust and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict during an interview with Yahoo News’ “Skullduggery” podcast on Sunday. When asked to elaborate on her support for a one-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli struggle, Tlaib mentioned the recent commemoration of Holocaust Remembrance Day in…

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Plastic waste pact approved with U.S. among few holdouts

Plastic waste pact approved with U.S. among few holdouts

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The Associated Press reports: Almost every country in the world has agreed on a legally binding framework for reducing polluting plastic waste, with the United States a notable exception, United Nations environmental officials said Friday. An agreement on tracking thousands of types of plastic waste emerged at the end of a two-week meeting of U.N.-backed conventions on plastic waste and toxic, hazardous chemicals. Discarded plastic clutters pristine land, floats in huge masses in oceans and entangles wildlife, sometimes with deadly…

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A bizarre form of water may exist all over the universe

A bizarre form of water may exist all over the universe

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Joshua Sokol writes: Recently at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics in Brighton, New York, one of the world’s most powerful lasers blasted a droplet of water, creating a shock wave that raised the water’s pressure to millions of atmospheres and its temperature to thousands of degrees. X-rays that beamed through the droplet in the same fraction of a second offered humanity’s first glimpse of water under those extreme conditions. The X-rays revealed that the water inside the shock wave didn’t…

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The English word that hasn’t changed in sound or meaning in 8,000 years

The English word that hasn’t changed in sound or meaning in 8,000 years

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Sevindj Nurkiyazova writes: “One of my favorite words is lox,” says Gregory Guy, a professor of linguistics at New York University. There is hardly a more quintessential New York food than a lox bagel—a century-old popular appetizing store, Russ & Daughters, calls it “The Classic.” But Guy, who has lived in the city for the past 17 years, is passionate about lox for a different reason. “The pronunciation in the Proto-Indo-European was probably ‘lox,’ and that’s exactly how it is…

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Russia is targeting Europe’s elections. So are far-right copycats

Russia is targeting Europe’s elections. So are far-right copycats

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The New York Times reports: Less than two weeks before pivotal elections for the European Parliament, a constellation of websites and social media accounts linked to Russia or far-right groups is spreading disinformation, encouraging discord and amplifying distrust in the centrist parties that have governed for decades. European Union investigators, academics and advocacy groups say the new disinformation efforts share many of the same digital fingerprints or tactics used in previous Russian attacks, including the Kremlin’s interference in the 2016…

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Trump’s ‘racism and sexism’ make him unfit to address British parliament

Trump’s ‘racism and sexism’ make him unfit to address British parliament

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HuffPost reports: Donald Trump will be denied the historic honour of addressing parliament during his state visit to the UK next month, government sources have confirmed. In a major snub to the US President, lingering hopes of him delivering a speech to MPs and peers have been dashed following defiant opposition by Commons Speaker John Bercow, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and others. Although Barack Obama made a landmark address in Westminster Hall in 2011, Trump will not be allowed the…

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Can Wharton revoke Trump’s economics degree now?

Can Wharton revoke Trump’s economics degree now?

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David Rothkopf writes: Despite all the success enjoyed by 19th century industrial magnate Joseph Wharton, the 21st century has not been kind to his family’s legacy. His great-great-great grandson, Josh Rosen, was ignominiously canned as quarterback by the Arizona Cardinals and sold off for peanuts to the Miami Dolphins. But even worse, the family name he gave to the business school he founded at the University of Pennsylvania has been irreversibly damaged by one of that school’s graduates, the 45th…

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What Democrats today can learn from Rep. Jack Brooks, author of the Watergate impeachment articles

What Democrats today can learn from Rep. Jack Brooks, author of the Watergate impeachment articles

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Timothy McNulty and Brendan McNulty write: Jack Brooks, Democrat of Beaumont, Texas, served in the United States House of Representatives for 42 years. His tenure in Congress spanned the terms of 10 presidents. His early career in Washington was shepherded by Texas legend and longtime Speaker of the House Sam Rayburn. He was in John F. Kennedy’s motorcade when the president was shot by Lee Harvey Oswald, and hours later, Brooks stood behind his close friend Lyndon Johnson when the…

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‘A dream ticket’: Black lawmakers pitch Biden-Harris to beat Trump

‘A dream ticket’: Black lawmakers pitch Biden-Harris to beat Trump

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Politico reports: The Congressional Black Caucus may have found an answer to its Joe Biden dilemma: Vice President Kamala Harris. Some black lawmakers are agonizing over whether to back Biden or two members of the close-knit caucus — Sens. Harris and Cory Booker — who are also vying for the White House, according to interviews with a dozen CBC members. But with the former vice president jumping out to a huge, if early, lead in the polls, several CBC members…

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