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Trump Flirts With Insurrection Act as Protests Rage, Iran Faces Sanctions, “Me-First” Politics Erodes Public Health—While Kent Busts a Cannabis Grow, U.S. Buses Crawl, Blackpink Drops a Mini-Album, and DIYers Hack a Motor Into an E-Bike Drive
Kent cannabis grow found
Police discovered a cannabis-growing operation with more than 300 plants in a building on a residential street in Kent, and the building has been secured. Somewhere, a landlord is suddenly very interested in “routine inspections.”
U.S. buses are slow because we keep treating every corner like a sacred shrine
A case for fewer bus stops argues that major-city buses crawl at roughly eight miles per hour, and one simple fix is spacing stops farther apart. Many U.S. cities put stops about 313 meters apart, or even closer in places like Philadelphia, Chicago, and San Francisco, versus typical European spacing of 300 to 450 meters. All that stopping burns time on boarding, accessibility procedures, acceleration and braking, and missed signals, with buses spending about 20% of operating time in stop-and-go. Cities that consolidated stops saw faster service and savings, including San Francisco’s 4.4 to 14% speed gains and Vancouver’s pilot that removed a quarter of stops, cut trips by five minutes, and saved about $500,000 annually on one route, with research suggesting coverage loss can be minimal.
Trump floats invoking the Insurrection Act over Minnesota protests
President Donald Trump said he may invoke the Insurrection Act in response to protests in Minnesota following an incident in which an ICE agent shot a civilian. Nothing says “de-escalation” like reaching for the biggest, loudest legal hammer in the toolbox.
Blackpink announces new mini-album
Blackpink will release their third mini-album, “DEADLINE,” on Feb. 27, according to YG Entertainment. A title that also describes how fans feel waiting for release details.
Trump worries about midterms, suggests elections are optional when he’s doing “so much”
Trump told Reuters he’s concerned Republicans could lose control of the House or Senate in the midterms, citing the usual pattern where the party in power drops seats in a president’s second year. He called it a “deep psychological thing” and argued he’d achieved so much that the country “shouldn’t even have an election.” Democracy, now available in “trust me bro” mode.
Democratic lawmakers say they’re being investigated over video on unlawful orders
Five Democratic lawmakers say they are under investigation after appearing in a video urging U.S. service members to refuse unlawful orders. Reps. Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania and Maggie Goodlander of New Hampshire said the Justice Department sought to interview them after they appeared with four other Democrats reiterating principles of military law.
DIY motor surgery turns an AC induction motor into a BLDC bike drive
A project describes rebuilding an AC induction motor into a brushless DC motor by rewiring the stator and modifying the rotor. The original windings were removed and replaced with hand-wound coils in a new pole configuration, and the rotor was machined and fitted with permanent magnets secured with epoxy. With Hall sensors, a controller, and a battery, the converted motor tested at about 1.3 kW and is being adapted to drive a bicycle via a 3D-printed pulley mounted to the rear wheel.
Public health warned: individualism-first politics is eroding collective protections
A commentary argues public health is being put at risk by political approaches that prioritize personal interests over collective responsibility. As policies erode, it warns the consequences will be concrete, widespread, and increasingly visible.
U.S. sanctions Iranian officials over protest repression
The United States imposed sanctions on Iranian officials accused of repressing anti-government protests, the Treasury Department announced. The measures came a day after Trump said he was told “on good authority” that Iran had halted plans for executions.
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This podcast is a fully automated experiment in AI-generated content. Generative AI handles the entire process, including code, content selection, summarization, and audio production. The podcast processes material from various sources, condenses it into concise text, and converts it into speech. No human intervention is involved in the production process.
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