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THE WEIRD HISTORY OF PRESIDENTIAL PARDONS

Tuesday, August 8, 2023

In today’s newsletter, we revisit history to understand today’s presidential pardons, learn how to correctly dispose of unused medications, ask if you can actually sweat out toxins ... and discover 1 million newly protected acres near the Grand Canyon.

Richard Nixon

PHOTOGRAPH BY JOHN BRYSON, THE LIFE IMAGES COLLECTION/GETTY

If a president commits a crime, is it a crime? The short answer is yes — but will it remain a crime?

The strange way that presidential pardons have been applied over the centuries raise the question, particularly the 1974 blanket pardon by President Gerald Ford to his just-resigned-in-disgrace predecessor, Richard Nixon (above).

Now we’re considering whether a former president facing 78 felony counts could pardon himself if he is elected again. Or: Could a deal be made with a rival for support in exchange for a pardon?

HERE’S WHAT HISTORY TELLS US

Unlock this article with Nat Geo Premium! Get access now to exclusive stories, plus a century of archives, photos, and videos. See subscription options starting at just $19/yr.

STORIES WE’RE FOLLOWING

A woman sits in an infrared sauna—which uses light to create heat instead of electric heaters or steam—in New York City

PHOTOGRAPH BY LAUREL GOLIO, REDUX

Can you really sweat out toxins? (Above, a woman sits in an infrared sauna)

An Indigenous ‘metropolis’ may be hidden under this Wisconsin lake

Heart attacks are rising in young people. Here's what to know.

How did Viagra become ‘Viagra’? Through this fascinating process.

Don’t tell Nonna: Science says this is the ‘right’ way to cook pasta

1 million acres of ‘sacred’ land near Grand Canyon are receiving new protections

This book vanished when Anne Boleyn was executed. Now it reveals her secrets.

This is how you should dispose of unused or expired medications

They're big. Their range is growing. Can feral hogs be stopped?

He returned to the ‘cave of bones’ to solve the mysteries of human origins

This shark fought off a deep-sea squid, first-ever picture reveals

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

María González Sola, an activist with the group Animal Equality, says she rescued this hen from an egg farm in Spain in 2011.

PHOTOGRAPH BY JO-ANNE MCARTHUR, WE ANIMALS MEDIA

Saving animals—or taking them? Activists call it rescue, farmers call it stealing, but “open rescuers” argue they have a right to save animals in distress—no matter where the creatures are. So far, two high-profile cases have surfaced—and the activists were found not guilty. (Above, an activist rescued a hen from an egg farm.)

RESCUE, OR STEALING?

WHERE IN THE WORLD?

Brain samples are taken from the Copper-Age mummy Ötzi, who was encased in ice shortly after death. This natural mummification preserved the body for some 5,000 years before its discovery in 1991.

PHOTOGRAPH BY ROBERT CLARK, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION

All on accident: Before humans intentionally mummified their dead, nature did it for them (above, Ötzi, a 5,000-year-old man). Do you know how these early humans were mummified—or where?

A. Ice
B. Bogs
C. Desert
D. Salt
E. All the above

CLICK FOR THE ANSWER

HAPPY INTERNATIONAL CAT DAY!

"Samurai" cat armor by Jeff de Boer features vanquished mice on the helmet and tailpiece.

PHOTOGRAPH BY CHRISTIE HEMM KLOK

Jeff de Boer designs museum-quality armor—for cats. The above, “Samurai,” features vanquished mice on the helmet and tailpiece. How’d de Boer start crafting these elaborate pieces? “It all started with a mouse,” he says.

Related: The forgotten history of cats in the navy
Not spayed. Not neutered. This birth control for cats doesn’t require surgery
Your cat can recognize your voice. Yes, really.

We asked, you responded: Among the emails we got after our story on heart attacks rising among the young, this note stood out. “Young adults ... are not aware they should be concerned with their heart health way before they get old,” writes Kathleen Sodermark. “My father’s first heart attack was when he was 54. He did not get enough exercise and he ate a lot of red meat.” Thanks to Kathleen and to all of you for reading!

Today’s soundtrack: Wonder Eye, Little Moon

Thanks for reading! Today’s newsletter was edited and curated by Jen Tse, Hannah Farrow, Nancy San Martín, and David Beard. Have feedback, or just want to say hey? Email us here: [email protected].

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