The FBI planted bugs in a mob lawyer’s office during Philly’s bloody gang war — recording 2,000 conversations that exposed the mafia’s inner workings. The new Netflix series “Mob War: Philadelphia vs. The Mafia” tells the story: https://buff.ly/bRAOhwB

Pentagon reporters are handing in their press passes after refusing to sign a new Pentagon policy that contains pages and pages of restrictions on their activities. A First Amendment scholar calls it an unprecedented attack on reporting: https://buff.ly/pXtJuTb

AI-generated civics lesson plans lack critical thinking and diverse perspectives. 90% of activities promote only basic thinking skills, missing opportunities for deeper engagement, according to researchers who evaluated 311 different lesson plans generated by ChatGPT, Gemini and Copilot. https://buff.ly/n3CXYUX

Trump administration’s proposed cuts to the Dept. of Education would eliminate the entire team that helps families navigate their children’s special education rights, and ensure their kids receive the services they need. An education policy researcher explains how this will affect children with everything from dyslexia to blindness:

The Conversation

Trump administration’s layoffs would gut department overseeing special education, eliminating parents’ last resort

All children have the right to an adequate education. The Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services helps parents navigate their chil...

80 years after Japanese Americans were imprisoned at the Manzanar Relocation Center in the California desert, descendants are returning to play baseball and softball, sports that gave prisoners hope and a sense of normalcy. https://buff.ly/iWJdkeN

Measuring antioxidant levels can be tricky, but one study analyzed and quantified them in more than 3,100 foods. Blueberries, pomegranates, and blackberries top the list for fruits. Cooked artichoke leads vegetables, followed by red kale and red cabbage. Some spices pack a powerful punch, too.

The Conversation

Antioxidants help stave off a host of health problems – but figuring out how much you’re getting can be tricky

Blueberries, walnuts and dark green leafy vegetables head the list, but diversity is the key to getting more antioxidants in your diet.

The US faces a projected shortage of 86,000 physicians by 2036. Foreign-born doctors make up 1 in 5 physicians in the US, and new H-1B visa $100,000 fees could threaten this vital pipeline of medical talent. These visa-holders are especially likely to fill vacancies in rural areas and as primary-care physicians https://buff.ly/ouYExAp

Should you worry about the headlines that many protein powders and shakes contain high levels of lead and other heavy metals? A clinical pharmacologist looks at what Consumer Reports found https://buff.ly/0EGYXG2

Why do some coups succeed while others fail? New research on Africa (where Madagascar’s military just overthrew the president) looks at the key factors in why coups succeed: - Who’s involved - Where it happens - How violent it gets - Whether ordinary people join in

The Conversation

Madagascar’s military power grab shows Africa’s coup problem isn’t restricted to the Sahel region

While illegal takeovers of state have declined globally, Africa has now seen at least 10 successful coups since 2020.

After a century away, flamingos are nesting in Florida again. Hurricane Idalia blew hundreds off course from the Yucatán, and some stayed. Scientists say their return may signal that Everglades restoration is finally working 🦩

The Conversation

Flamingos are making a home in Florida again after 100 years – an ecologist explains why they may be returning for good

The gradual return of flamingos to Florida coincides with long-term efforts to restore the Everglades and the state’s coastal ecosystems.