OUR PICKSGrowing U.S. Flood Risk | Undercover Nazi | Mexican Cartels’ New Weapons, and more

Mexican Cartels Now Use IEDs as Well as Bomb-Dropping Drones  (Associated Press / VOA News)
In the war raging between drug cartels in western Mexico, gangs have begun using improvised explosive devices (IEDs) on roads to disable army vehicles.

Texas Power Grid Passes Winter Test but Critics Say It’s Still Fragile  (Bloomberg)
Texas’s power grid passed its biggest test since last year’s deadly blackouts, keeping most lights on during a wintry blast. This storm, however, was far less severe than last year’s monstrous one, leaving questions whether the state is really ready for another deep freeze.

U.S. Flood Risk Is about to Explode — but Not for the Reasons You Think  (Jake Bittle, Grist)
A new study projects that the number of Americans exposed to flooding will double in 30 years. Development is largely to blame.

The 1918 Flu Didn’t End in 1918. Here’s What Its Third Year Can Teach Us.  (Jess McHugh, Washington Post)
As the coronavirus pandemic creeps into its third year, and the death toll in the United States reaches 900,000, the 1918 influenza pandemic can offer some insight into how this chapter of history might draw to a close. But an “ending,” when it comes to viruses such as these, is a misleading word. Eventually, experts say, the novel coronavirus is likely to transition from a deadly and disruptive pathogen to a milder, more seasonal nuisance.
In the meantime, though, the country’s experience a century ago suggests that we could be in for a lot more pain — especially if we let our guard down.

The Undercover Nazi: He Spent 25 Years Infiltrating Nazis, the Klan, and Biker Gangs  (Paul Solotaroff, Rolling Stone)
Scott was a top undercover agent for the FBI, putting himself in harm’s way dozens of times. Now, he’s telling his story for the first time to sound the alarm about the threat of far-right extremists in America

For decades, he infiltrated biker gangs and white-supremacist groups. Now, he’s telling his story to sound the alarm about the threat of far-right extremists in America

Yes, It’s Still a Pandemic of the Unvaccinated — Arguably Even More So Now (Aaron Blake, Washington Post)
The latest data show the outcome gap between the unvaccinated and the most protected has only grown with the introduction of boosters.

How a Toxic Chemical Ended up in the Drinking Water Supply for 13 Million People  (Ry Rivard, Politico)
Officials found a gap in state and federal regulations that allowed an unsafe chemical to end up in an essential water supply.

‘Remain in Mexico’ Is Back Under Biden, with Little Resemblance to the Trump Version  (Nick Miroff and Arelis R. Hernández, Washington Post)
Following a court order, and after months of negotiations with Mexico, the Biden administration relaunched “Remain in Mexico” in early December. Immigration advocates were furious, but two months after its restart, the new version of the program bears little resemblance to President Donald Trump’s.

The Maldives Is Being Swallowed by the Sea. Can It Adapt?  (Trista McConnell, National Geographic)
Whether or not the Maldives can survive climate change, the country will never be the same.