Crash Course: The ocean is about to flip a switch that could permanently disrupt life on Earth

[View this email in your browser]( Your daily update from [Salon](. The ocean is about to flip a switch that could permanently disrupt life on Earth A massive Atlantic Ocean [current system]( which affects climate, sea levels and weather systems around the world, appears to be close to being fatally disrupted. A new scientific paper describes how a series of Atlantic Ocean currents have reached "an almost complete loss of stability over the last century" as the planet continues to warm. If current trends continue unabated, they may slow to a dangerous level or even shut down entirely. So why does it matter? Well, for one, the series of currents in question is a huge system known as the [Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, or AMOC for short](. This current system is sometimes likened to a series of conveyer belts: one "belt" flows north with warm water that, upon reaching the northern Atlantic, cools and evaporates, in the process increasing the salinity of water in that region. The saltier water becomes colder and heavier, sinking and flowing south to create a second "belt." Those two currents are in turn connected by other oceanic features in the Southern Ocean, the Labrador Sea and the Nordic Sea. This so-called conveyer belt system has been in place for thousands of years or more, and ocean life is adapted to its rhythms. Indeed, AMOC, which scientists believe can slow down or turn off abruptly when temperatures increase, is also vital to maintaining humanity's way of life. If it shuts down, temperature will plummet in Europe while the number of storms increases; changing weather conditions will lead to food shortages in South America, India and Western Africa; and rising sea levels along the North American eastern seaboard will force millions to flee their homes. [And that's not all...]( If Mike Lindell's claims are accurate (they're not), he likely broke wiretapping laws MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, with his long-time-coming "cyber symposium" finally upon us, is still promising data that will serve as "absolute proof" that agents of the Chinese government stole the 2020 election from Donald Trump. There is no reason to believe any of the pillow king's information is legitimate. In fact, if it were, [Lindell could face "very severe" consequences for violating federal wiretapping laws,]( one expert tells Salon. Lindell's so-called data has already been described as highly questionable by experts who spoke to CNN. One can only wonder, however, why Lindell would claim he obtained the data in blatantly illegal fashion. A source with 20-plus years of expertise in the cyber-security and technology arena told Salon on Monday that Lindell and his band of "white hat hackers" could face criminal charges if they have anything resembling the kind of data Lindell has claimed. "Number one is, how did they acquire this data?" [the expert asked.]( can't just pull this kind of information from a remote, you have to have a physical device sitting there that is providing this information." In other words, the only way Lindell could have acquired the kind of data he claims is by inserting a physical device that can "watch information that is going in and out of a network," the literal definition of wiretapping, and a clear violation of federal law. This is not some minor technical violation, the expert added, but a "very serious offense." Even being in possession of that data, no matter who acquired it, is potentially illegal, [the expert said](. - Ron DeSantis threatens to [withhold superintendent salaries]( if schools mandate face masks. - The Perseverance Mars rover [took a rock sample from an ancient lakebed](. Then, that rock sample [mysteriously disappeared](. - [Vaccine disinformation and partisan politics are killing us]( (literally), says psychologist Alan Blotcky and Anthony Scaramucci (yes, that Anthony Scaramucci) - Rep. Lauren Boebert's [inexplicable late-night Capitol tour]( happened after she attended the "Stop the Steal" rally. - Corporate liberals are finally seeing the threat of Trumpism — but they are [helpless to stop it](. - As COVID-19 cases surge in Texas, Ted Cruz [slams the idea]( of vaccine mandates. - Big Oil spent $10 million on Facebook ads last year. [Why?]( - Consumers [scramble for COVID tests]( in hard-hit areas. - Voting machine maker Dominion is hitting back at pro-Trump outlets, and has [filed lawsuits]( against Newsmax and OAN for election lies. - Facebook [isn't all that interested in stopping vaccine disinformation]( perhaps because right-wing lies are enriching. - Senate Republicans — including Mitch McConnell — [break with Trump]( to back Biden's infrastructure bill. - New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's resigned. [Can he still be impeached?]( - Has "The Bachelor" been [outdone]( by "FBoy Island"? - "Jeopardy" host frontrunner Mike Richards [responds to allegations]( as fans petition against him. - Beloved actress Christina Applegate took to Twitter Monday to share her [diagnosis of multiple sclerosis](. Not a subscriber yet? [Sign up]( to receive Crash Course. The deep roots of Trump's coup attempt Last week it was [revealed]( that Jeffrey Clark, a Trump loyalist within the Justice Department, attempted to pressure acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen to declare that there were "irregularities" in the votes in key battleground states such as Georgia, where Trump had narrowly lost to Biden. On CNN's "State of the Union" last weekend, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., who chairs the Judiciary Committee, said that testimony from Rosen and another Justice Department official had "lifted the lid on 'frightening' maneuverings at the department after November's election." Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., told CNN's Manu Raju he was struck by "how close the country came to total catastrophe" in the last days of Trump's presidency. According to CNN, Clark "drafted a letter that he asked Rosen to send to Georgia state legislators to say they should convene to examine irregularities in the election." The New York Times has reported that Clark's letter suggested the Georgia legislature should void Biden's victory in the state, while falsely claiming the Justice Department was investigating allegations of fraud. But as Chauncey DeVega argues, there is nothing "shocking" or "revelatory" about what is now known about Donald Trump and his agents' attempt to overthrow American democracy. Indeed, Trump and his agents and followers [repeatedly said]( in public that they would not respect the results of the election if he did not win. While the mainstream news media is now trying to present itself as sounding the alarm in defense of democracy, too many in the media spent the last five years downplaying the Trump regime's existential danger to the country, [DeVega argues](. (Photo by Eva Marie Uzcategui/Getty Images) - "[How Cuomo’s flexing of political power became his undoing]( The Washington Post. - "[The woman who rifles through New York’s garbage – exposing the city’s excesses]( The Guardian - "[Why Conservatives Around the World Have Embraced Hungary’s Viktor Orbán]( The New Yorker - "[Meet My Multiple Mes: People with dissociative identity disorder have started presenting their selves on YouTube to rapturous fans]( New York Magazine Dr. Paul (R-Ky.) wants you to rage against the vaccine Senator Rand Paul [created a stir on Sunday]( when he encouraged sympathetic Americans to "resist" the Centers for Disease Control's public health guidance amid a recent surge in COVID-19 cases – even in his own home state. "They can't arrest all of us," Paul said in a video. "We don't have to accept the mandates, lockdowns, and harmful policies of the petty tyrants and feckless bureaucrats." Paul also made a number of unsubstantiated claims about the virus – one of which being that children are less vulnerable to getting COVID than they are the seasonal flu. In fact, a Johns Hopkins and University of Washington symposium [found]( that children are more likely to die by COVID than the flu. "If a school system attempts to keep children from full-time in-person school," Paul capped off in his video. "I will hold up every bill with two amendments: One to defund them, and another to allow parents the choice of where the money goes for their child's education." Despite Paul's claims about child immunity in his video, an increasing number of children are becoming infected with the virus. According to the [American Academy of Pediatrics]( around 4.3 million children have tested positive for the coronavirus since its discovery, with about 94,000 cases added just this past week. The Kentucky lawmaker's comments drew fire from a number of critics online who objected to Paul's logic amid a resurgence of the coronavirus cases throughout the nation. But perhaps the most perplexing and astonishing aspect of Rand Paul's rant is that he said all these things despite [having an M.D. degree from Duke](. Have a tip for Salon? Feedback on this newsletter? [Let us know](mailto:brett.bachman@salon.com). [Share]( [Share]( [Tweet]( [Tweet]( [Forward]( [Forward]( Copyright © 2021 Salon.com, LLC, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in at Salon.com Our mailing address is: Salon.com, LLC 1000 N. West StreetWilmington, DE 19801 [Add us to your address book]( Want to change how you receive these emails? You can [update your preferences]( or [unsubscribe from this list](. [Mailchimp Email Marketing](