Walt Whitman was the original selfie king. Long before Instagram, he staged portraits to craft his image — even faking a butterfly landing on his finger. In his lifelong search for the “real Me,” the more images he collected, the more he seemed to lose himself in their contradictions https://buff.ly/BD80Jza

Our latest investigation reveals how America’s gun industry is arming Mexico’s cartels, escalating violence and forcing Mexicans from their homes (thread)

Mexican drug cartels use hundreds of thousands of guns bought from licensed US gun shops – fueling violence in Mexico, drugs in the U.S. and migration at the border

Gun traffickers buy firearms at gun dealers in the U.S. and transport them across the border to Mexico, where it is much harder to buy guns.

#Pope Leo XIV, born in Chicago, is claimed by Peruvians as one of their own. His connection to #Peru highlights the region's significance in Catholic tradition – including its sacred image of Mary, the Virgen de la Puerta, revered by LGBTQ Catholics, the poor, and migrants. https://buff.ly/98T00cA

White-tailed deer once nearly vanished from North America — down to just 1% of their current population. Their population recovery tells a bigger story about conservation, capitalism, hunting and coexistence.

The Conversation

The rise and fall – and rise again – of white-tailed deer

A new archaeological study finds early evidence of white-tailed deer declines in the 17th century, likely driven by the commodification of deerskin...

South Korea heads to the polls June 3 after a whirlwind political year: 🇰🇷President impeached after declaring martial law 🇰🇷Opposition frontrunner favors universal basic income but faces legal troubles 🇰🇷Conservatives torn over new identity 🇰🇷A rising third-party wildcard?

The Conversation

3 things to watch as South Koreans head toward the polls following turbulent political period

Overshadowing almost everything in the country is the impeachment of the former president for abuse and the ensuing political paralysis.

#SouthKorea #KoreanElection2025

Work requirements are better at blocking benefits for low-income people than they are at helping those folks find jobs https://buff.ly/TZpOXbx

Texas' standardized reading test adjusted its scoring every year, confusing parents and lawmakers who were trying to figure out why the reported results weren’t showing improvement.

The Conversation

Texas’ annual reading test adjusted its difficulty every year, masking whether students are improving

A deep dive into the test’s framework suggests it was designed to fail about the same share of students every year, even if they’d made actual ...

Anti-trans measures don’t just target transgender men and women – the emphasis on there being two and only two genders denies the existence of another group that is often misunderstood: nonbinary people. Here’s what they told a sociologist about their experiences and identity: https://buff.ly/tMjSDAl

Are high electricity prices zapping your budget? Penn State energy law scholars share 5 ways for Pennsylvanians to save – but the general principles apply everywhere: https://buff.ly/qtvRBjS

Americans generate 2.7 million tons of e-waste annually, but only 15% gets recycled. New microwave technology could recover these valuable materials more efficiently – and also help address US supply shortages. An engineering professor explains: https://buff.ly/hTbIRJT