Trump's Mug Shot; Japan Releasing Fukushima Nuclear Wastewater Into Ocean

Written By Guest User

Trump Surrenders In Georgia: Why Authorities Opted For a Mug Shot

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Good morning,

Another week, another Trump arrest. But, this one came with a mug shot. The former president surrendered to authorities Thursday night over felony charges in connection with efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results.

He was arrested, booked, and released. Unlike his three other previous indictments in NY and at the federal level, Georgia authorities opted for a mug shot. The local sheriff said he treats everyone booked for a crime by the same rules.

It’s the first mug shot for a former or current President of the United States.

Hope your day starts off a bit happier.

Have a good one!

Mosheh, Jill, & Courtney

 

🎙The Mo News Podcast: More on Trump surrendering in Georgia, plus the first polls since the GOP presidential debate; A new study on screen time and babies; & PSL season already— what’s new on the menu?

Listen Now

🗞 JAPAN RELEASES NUCLEAR WASTEWATER INTO OCEAN

Japan has started releasing treated radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean. It’s a controversial move that’s been met with objections from nearby countries like China, which has already banned all seafood from Japan.

BACK STORY
In 2011, an earthquake and massive tsunami destroyed the Fukushima nuclear power plant. Several reactors melted down. To prevent disaster, workers flooded the reactors with water, which became highly contaminated. That water has been there pretty much ever since.

About 350 million gallons of water has been stored in massive tanks on the site. And rainwater has filtered in, also becoming contaminated.

Needless to say, the tanks holding the water are near capacity. So Japan had to figure out what to do with all of it.

“THE LEAST BAD OF A BUNCH OF BAD OPTIONS”
The director of nuclear power safety at the Union of Concerned Scientists in Washington, D.C. tells NPR that there are really no good options here. But in his view— Japan’s current plan is “probably the least bad of a bunch of bad options.”

📝 WHAT’S THE PLAN?

  • First, Japan created a system to filter out as much of the radioactive contamination as possible.

  • The one radioactive isotope they CAN’T filter out is tritium.

    • Tritium contains hydrogen, which is part of the water itself (H20), making it impossible to remove.

  • Now that they’ve filtered the water, they’re going to dilute it with seawater.

  • They’ll then release it into the Pacific Ocean slowly, over the course of decades. So far, they’ve released about three Olympic swimming pools worth of water.

IS THIS SAFE?
Japan says the tritium levels are well below all safety limits.

  • The U.N.'s nuclear watchdog says the discharge will have a negligible radiological impact to people and the environment.

  • Water containing tritium is routinely released by nuclear plants. It is considered relatively harmless because its radiation is not energetic enough to penetrate human skin, however, ingesting it at levels above those in released water can raise cancer risks.

  • The IAEA believes the plan is consistent with international safety standards.

    • The group plans to conduct independent monitoring to make sure the discharge is done safely.

But experts are split:

  • "The risk is really, really, really low. And I would call it not a risk at all….. if it's done properly — then the doses that people get and the doses that the ecosystem get just won't be significant.” — Jim Smith, a professor of environmental science at the University of Portsmouth.

  • Ken Buesseler, a senior scientist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, thinks it would have been better to keep the contaminated water on land, "where it's much easier to monitor."

THERE GOES THE NEIGHBORHOOD
Neighboring countries are less than thrilled. There have been public protests in South Korea. And the Marshall Islands and Tahiti are also concerned.

China has gone as far as to ban all seafood and aquatic products from Japan, escalating an already tense relationship.

  • China described the operation as a “selfish and irresponsible act.” The country says it’s banning the food as a way to protect the health of Chinese consumers and “prevent the risk of radioactive contamination” in food.

  • At the same time, the South Korean government has concluded from its own study that the release does meet international standards and respects the IAEA assessment.

⏳ SPEED READ

🚨NATION

📌 Republican debate poll finds Ron DeSantis and Vivek Ramaswamy won; Nikki Haley also sees surge (WASHINGTON POST)

📌 Fox News debate got nearly 13 million viewers (POLITICO)

📌 Maui dodged catastrophe in wildfires five years ago but missed an opportunity to prevent future disaster, residents say (NBC NEWS)

📌 Canadian wildfire smoke leads to surge in ER asthma cases in US Northeast (THE HILL)

📌 Bryan Kohberger's trial is postponed after Idaho student stabbings suspect waives right to speedy trial (CBS NEWS)

🌎 AROUND THE WORLD

📌 The BRICS Group Announces New Members, Expanding Its Reach: Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the U.A.E. and Saudi Arabia have been invited to join the club. (NY TIMES)

📌 Vladimir Putin breaks silence over Prigozhin's plane crash death (POLITICO)

📌 India lunar rover Pragyaan takes a walk on the Moon (BBC)

📌 FIFA opens disciplinary hearings against Spanish soccer head for kissing female athlete on lips at ceremony (BBC)

📱BUSINESS, HEALTH & TECH

📌 August once again lives up to its dismal reputation for stocks (CNBC)

📌T-Mobile lays off 5,000 workers, after promising its merger with Sprint would add jobs (THE VERGE)

📌 FDA says stop using 2 eye drops due to immediate danger (CBS NEWS)

📌 Wall Street funds discuss potential bankruptcy plan for WeWork.(WALL STREET JOURNAL)

🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT

📌 Fraudster Billy McFarland claims $500 tickets for Fyre Fest II are already sold out. (NY POST)

📌 The Starbucks Fall 2023 Lineup is here with three new menu items in the mix (GLAMOUR)

📌 ‘Dune: Part Two’ delayed to 2024 amid strikes. (VARIETY)

📌 Prince Harry is making another trip to the UK right before the anniversary of the Queen’s death, reportedly without Meghan Markle. (VANITY FAIR)

🎉 CHEERS TO THE FREAKIN’ WEEKEND

Guest User
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