• Writing in the Harvard Gazette, Christina Pazzanese interviews Daniel Poneman on the state of the nuclear industry in the US.

• We’re littering near-earth space just like we junked up the planet. The Washington Post Editorial Board describes the issue well – Space trash is falling from the sky. And that’s not the worst of it.

• John Muyskens, Kevin Crowe, Shannon Osaka, and Niko Kommenda, writing in the Washington Post,  do a commendable job of describing the variable rise in sea levels across the globe. Definitely worth a read: WHY SEAS ARE SURGING

• A quick video re. the Polio vaccine’s beneficial impact from Kristen Panthagani.  She encourages sharing!

• David Chandler advocates for the ideals of John Rawls in his NYT essay The Democrats Are in Trouble. This Man Can Save Them.

• Zeynep Tufekci writes in the NYT re. some of the reasons JFK Jr. is a less than ideal selection for HHS secretary: John F Kennedy Jr. Could Do Almost Limitless Harm

• In his NYT opinion piece Trump Says the Country Is ‘Dying.’ The Data Say Otherwise, Steven Pinker tries to narrow the optimism gap by presenting evidence that the U.S. is really in pretty good shape. Worth a read if only to make yourself feel a little bit better about things…

• Joy of Tech strikes again:  

• Keren Landman M.D. has an excellent story in Vox about what the arrival of private equity interests in the practice of Emergency Medicine has done – and it isn’t good. It’s worth a read –
The profit-obsessed monster destroying American emergency rooms

• In a signed letter, more than 100 Republican National Security Leaders Endorse Vice President Harris for President.  An excerpt:

“We believe that the President of the United States must be a principled, serious, and steady leader who can advance and defend American security and values, strengthen our alliances, and protect our democracy. We expect to disagree with Kamala Harris on many domestic and foreign policy issues, but we believe that she possesses the essential qualities to serve as President and Donald Trump does not. We therefore support her election to be President.

We firmly oppose the election of Donald Trump. As President, he promoted daily chaos in government, praised our enemies and undermined our allies, politicized the military and disparaged our veterans, prioritized his personal interest above American interests, and betrayed our values, democracy, and this country’s founding documents. In our view, by inciting the violent attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021 and defending those who committed it, he has violated his oath of office and brought  danger to our country.”

More than 230 Republicans have signed on to the Bush, McCain, and Romney Alumni for Harris Statement:

“We know now, thanks to exit polling and voter data, that it was moderate Republicans and conservative independents in key swing states that ultimately delivered the presidency to Joe Biden—honest, hardworking Americans in Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Arizona, and beyond that put country far before party. We’re heartfully calling on these friends, colleagues, neighbors, and family members to take a brave stand once more, to vote for leaders that will strive for consensus, not chaos; that will work to unite, not divide; that will make our country and our children proud. Those leaders are Vice President Kamala Harris and Gov. Tim Walz.”

And Scientific American endorses Kamala Harris here.