10 Great Anecdotes from Hillary's Book about Obama and Bill

About President Obama:

1. "He would call from time to time and share his thoughts on the race. 'Don't try to be hip, you're a grandma,' he'd tease. 'Just be yourself and keep doing what you're doing.'"

2. He thought she overdid it in 2008, so he kept trying to get her to rest more in 2015-16. Aw.

3. When she called the President right after she called Trump to concede: "The President said everything right. He told me I'd run a strong campaign, that I had done a great deal for our country, that he was proud of me. He told me there was life after losing and that he and Michelle would be there for me."

About Bill:

1. After her concession speech: "I'm so proud of you... That was a great speech. History will remember it."

2. He has opinions on the relative merits of CBS procedurals: he "insists" NCIS: Los Angeles is the best of the franchise.

3. "I remember how hours after she was born, Bill walked around the hospital room with tiny Chelsea in his arms, explaining everything to her. We didn't want to waste a moment."

4. Bill was the first father that hospital ever let be in the operating room during a C-section, and it sounds like they only allowed it because he was Governor and insisted.

5. "In a minute he will reorganize our bookshelves for the millionth time, which means I will not be able to find any of my books, and once I learn the new system, he'll just redo it again, but I don't mind because he really loves to organize those bookshelves."

6. "He never once asked me to put my career on hold for his. He never once suggested that maybe I shouldn't compete for anything - in work or politics - because it would interfere with his life or ambitions. There were stretches of time in which my husband's job was unquestionably more important than mine, and he still didn't play that card. I have never felt like anything but an equal."

7. "On our first date, we went to the Yale University Art Gallery to see a Mark Rothko exhibit. The building was closed, but Bill talked our way in."

Morning Coffee (9/25/17)

Me elsewhere: TV news for the week.

German election: Merkel wins fourth term but far-right AfD surges to third

New Order Indefinitely Bars Almost All Travel From Seven Countries

Good thing no one gets upset about this kind of thing: Kushner used private email account for some White House business

This New G.O.P. Publication Looks a Lot Like a News Website

Heh: White House Denies John Kelly Is Having an Existential Crisis

John le Carré on Trump: ‘Something seriously bad is happening’

My Star Trek: Discovery post will be up at The Televixen later today, but in the meantime, I like Todd's piece: Star Trek: Discovery nails the important stuff in a surprisingly terrific debut

Interesting: Jury to Decide Whether or Not "Comic-Con" Has Become Generic

Whee: Bill Clinton & James Patterson’s Novel ‘The President Is Missing’ Lands At Showtime For TV Series Adaptation

Much ado about nothing: ancient Indian text contains earliest zero symbol

Morning Coffee (5/9/17)

This seems normal and fine: White House advisors called Ottawa to urge Trudeau to help talk Trump down from scrapping NAFTA

SIGH: Obama Warned Trump Against Hiring Mike Flynn, Say Officials

What a shock: Macron hackers linked to Russian-affiliated group behind US attack

"A spokesman for the E.P.A. administrator, Scott Pruitt, said he would consider replacing the academic scientists with representatives from industries whose pollution the agency is supposed to regulate."

'Nobody Dies Because They Don’t Have Access to Health Care,' Says Elected Idiot

!!!! Bill Clinton and James Patterson are writing a novel

A group of Obama veterans are banding together to invest in tech that can help Democrats win

Whoa: After a 33-Year Absence, a Lost Beach Returns to Ireland

Huh! Wolves Have Returned to Denmark After Two Centuries of Absence

Found: An 18th-Century Asian Sword Fished From a Welsh River

Morning Coffee (11/2/16)

How You Can Fight Donald Trump Right Now

Donald Trump Used Legally Dubious Method to Avoid Paying Taxes

That explosive story about Trump's secret server for talking to Russia doesn't add up

And/but: The New York Times’ very fishy article about Trump and Russia

BUT: Forget conspiracy theories. This is why Trump’s Russian connection is actually a problem.

Everything is very normal: A Senator with a Top Security Clearance Joked About a Bullseye on Hillary Clinton's Face

What a weird coincidence: Odd Timing: FBI Releases Closed Case Files On Bill Clinton Pardon Of Marc Rich

Who could have guessed? Hostility toward women is one of the strongest predictors of Trump support

Neat: Bits and Pieces of Old New York, in a New Digital Collection

This list is not entirely what I would have guessed: These Were the Most-Performed High School Musicals of 2015/2016

Morning Coffee (10/24/16)

Me elsewhere: Your TV news for the week!

Steve Bannon’s Vision for the Trump Coalition After Election Day

This is a really good point: Trump’s “winners and losers” mentality made him a hit on reality TV but a flop in the debates

Why we trust Donald Trump’s accusers but didn’t believe Bill Clinton’s

Good for him: Jeff Van Gundy Advocates Zero-Tolerance Policy For Domestic Violence Offenders

Wild: The Team of Men Behind Rachel Brewson, the Fake Woman Whose Trump-Fueled Breakup Went Viral

This profile of Shirley Jackson was quite something: " A few months later, Jackson arrived at the hospital to deliver her third child. The clerk asked for her occupation. 'Writer,' she replied. 'I’ll just put down housewife,' came the response."

My friend Libby interviewed some big names in pop culture about depression and it's very interesting.

How the Berenstain Bears Found Salvation

Doesn't this sound like it should be the beginning of a romance novel blurb? In the Early 19th Century, Firefighters Fought Fires ... and Each Other

The doxxing of Elena Ferrante: the uproar over the novelist’s secret identity, explained

Morning Coffee (8/21/16)

All our dreams have been answered: We've got a potential first spouse cookie battle! Should I try both recipes and report back?

It’s time to accept that Donald Trump is never going to learn basic stuff about the world

This story includes two of my favorite things to read about: YouTube star drama AND North Korea!

SIGH: Meeting the Free Speech Crusaders Who Want to End Political Correctness

This this this: Advocating for specific plot twists isn’t meaningful political activism

'We Don’t Need to Be Alone’: A Political Shift Has Poland Assessing Its Values

Here's a great profile of Senator Mikulski.

This defense of the bronze medal is fun.

Kafkaesque instructions on what to do with Franz Kafka’s manuscripts produce a Kafkaesque legal battle

Shifting Sands in Britain Reveal a 100-Year-Old Shipwreck (Not for nothing, but I feel like shifting sands have been revealing more things than usual recently.)

Morning Coffee (8/1/16)

The political cats of Britain are really seizing their moment while the humans are in disarray, huh?

The Ice Bucket Challenge did not fund a breakthrough in ALS treatment. This is important: "There is real harm in trumpeting citizen fundraising campaigns as a source of scientific advancement, though: because of this long-term, incremental work, science requires sustained, long-term funding. As useful as the funds raised by the Ice Bucket Challenge are, they can't replace the big, institutional, steady spending that has been under assault since the Reagan era."

Why Michelle Obama's Convention Speech Was a Total Game Changer

The subtext of Bill Clinton’s speech: women have always done the invisible, thankless work

Three-fourths of evangelicals support Donald Trump. Blame the "prosperity gospel." (Vox always has me at "Max Weber.")

And/but: Trump Is Driving Catholic Voters Toward Clinton

So, the Alan Grayson campaign situation was weird to start with...

...AND THEN: Alan Grayson said he never hit his wife. Then he got physical with a reporter.

I have limited sympathy for people who do not get agreements regarding compensation IN WRITING in the first place, but this situation with child performers certainly reinforces how terrible Trump and his people are. (And, obviously, it's the adult who should have insisted on a contract and none of this is the children's fault.)

Cecile Richards was the first person to say "abortion" at the DNC. Democrats often don't.

Morning Coffee (7/28/16)

Last night's convention speeches were great - Kaine won me over, Obama and Biden were phenomenal, my personal favorite Chris Murphy did well - but you're going to have to wait for the weekend for links about THEM because I AM SO TIRED YOU GUYS and so these are all things I bookmarked BEFORE last night.

A bit of entertainment news before we get to the politics: Gilmore Girls trailer and premiere date!! I have been less excited about this than... much of the Internet... but that trailer absolutely gave me some feelings.

THIS IS NOT GOOD: Donald Trump Calls on Russia to Find Hillary Clinton’s Missing Emails We are past joking here. This is very serious and way beyond partisan politics.

"Trump just coordinated with Russia in a way that would be illegal if Russia were a super PAC, in the hope that Russia will do something it would be illegal for a super PAC to do."

Aide: Trump 'will not be releasing' taxes

Related: Have we stopped to appreciate how crazy Donald Trump has gotten recently?

Oh hey, my tweet is in this BuzzFeed story: People Are Mad Hillary Was Left Off Some Front Pages After Making History

Bill Clinton explained Hillary’s political style perfectly — but disguised it as a love story

Rebecca Traister's take is also good. "It’s ironic that, in politics and other male-dominated public spheres, one of the roadblocks for women is objectification and sexualization, but when it comes to Hillary Clinton, whose ambition and brains have long rendered her bloodless in the American imagination, hearing her described as an object of desire could feel corrective and bizarrely just. So he did it."

Love this headline: Hillary Clinton’s husband wore a fetching pantsuit to honor her nomination for US president

SO SAD: Sesame Street has laid off Bob, Gordon, and Luis.

Morning Coffee (7/27/16)

Bill Clinton's speech at the convention last night was amazing, and Todd VanDerWerff's piece about it is lovely. "Here was Bill Clinton, former president, tremendous orator, great politician — and he was depicting himself as the supporting player in the story of his wife."

Michelle Obama Elegantly Eviscerated Donald Trump, Without Even Mentioning His Name

Here's the most Joe Biden impromptu press conference ever.

You don't say: Assange Timed WikiLeaks Release of Democratic Emails to Harm Hillary Clinton

And if you're interested in the evidence that Russia is involved, here you go.

Good for him: Sanders warns his supporters against choosing a third party

But: "Mother Jones asked Sanders three times what he thought about his delegates fiercely booing Clinton. He did not respond and quickly left the ballroom."

Everything's just fine, I see: Trump Doubles Down On NATO Comments: 'We Have To Walk'

The Man Booker longlist is out!

El Chapo reads John Green?!?!

Morning Coffee (5/31/16)

This may be the best thing I've read about Trump: The Joke That Ate the GOP

Bernie Sanders didn’t play the inside game, and it both helped and hurt him

Related: Talking with Nevada's top political expert about the rift between Sanders fans and party leaders

This is very useful these days, sadly enough: Travelgate to Furnituregate: a guide to the Clinton scandals of the 90s

How Online Harassment Is Setting The Tone For The 2016 Election

The cool girls, good girls and bad girls of modern books

Sexual harassment in academia is, sadly, not a shocking subject at this point, but when the perpetrator is a famous ethics professor, that's... something.

Middle Eastern Writers Find Refuge in the Dystopian Novel

The people behind Hottest Heads of State have a new site devoted to making fun of New York Times Magazine ads, and now I officially want to be friends with them.

Every Meal Lucy Snowe Almost Eats in Villette

Morning Coffee (5/26/16)

I love this: Sorry, Not Sorry: My Apology Addiction. Recently someone started pointing out every time I reflexively apologize for NO REASON and it was...astonishing.

I think we all assumed that Trump plans to target Clinton over Whitewater, but the notable thing here is that Politico found this out because Trump's spokeswoman EMAILED A POLITICO REPORTER instead of a campaign consultant with a similar name.

The Fact That You’re Going To Die Is Donald Trump’s Biggest Asset, Psychologists Say

Bill Clinton Gets Into 30-Minute Debate With A 24-Year-Old Bernie Fan Why does Bill Clinton never show up to talk to ME while I'm eating eggs?

This Vince Foster explainer is useful, especially for those of us who weren't quite following things at an adult level in the early nineties.

A Letter to a Bernie-or-Bust Voter

So many of my favorite words in one headline: In Silicon Valley, Gossip, Anger and Revenge

Not shocking, but always important to point out: White Men Working at the Washington Post Make Way More Money Than Their Peers

GOOD NEWS: Everything’s Going To Hell But At Least We Are Moving Away From Open Kitchens In Our Homes

Heee: Executive Notes On TV Shows That Skewed “Too Male"

Morning Coffee (2/8/16)

Me elsewhere: TV news!

My friend Chris was in a Super Bowl commercial!

GOOD: Bill Clinton, After Months of Restraint, Unleashes Stinging Attack on Bernie Sanders

Meet the ‘Cult’ Leader Stumping for Donald Trump

Wow: Here's What Happens When You Try and Track Down a Ted Cruz College Rumor

Heh: Sanders supporters banned from Tinder after campaigning on dating app

This is a very important point: The media’s biggest bias isn’t partisan — it’s for a juicy story

Marcia Clark is pretty great: "At the end of the day, at the end of the trial, I was in a lose-lose position. If I go soft-voiced and, you know, very ladylike, they call me a cream puff and say, 'She's not up to the task.' I go in and I'm tough and I'm strong and I'm a bitch."

NASA's New Planetary Defense Office Gets to Work Protecting Earth

More interesting than it sounds! Inside the FCC's audacious plan to blow up the cable box

Lord Lucan, Missing Since 1974 Murder, Is Declared Dead (Again)

Morning Coffee (1/30/16)

Reminder! I'm going to see four Oscar nominees today and writing up a little diary of it as a Patreon exclusive. Sign up by tonight to get it!

ICYMI, yesterday's Oscar Project post was about the delightfully feminist Creed.

Gilmore Girls is OFFICIALLY BACK and that link has some details.

I am totally fine with Coca-Cola product placement in Grease! Live, when I think about it. It fits so well. And to the other point in that article, it's certainly worth noting that "Did she put up a fight?" is still considered an acceptable lyric, but what a lot of the stories about this seem to be missing is that the lyrics that are being changed ("The chicks'll cream" to "scream," etc.) are frequently changed in stage productions, including (according to Seth Rudetsky) on Broadway. So it's not Fox suddenly doing this without precedent. And REGARDLESS, the actor does not seem the correct person to ask about this. It's not up to HIM.

Hillary Clinton and the audacity of political realism (Bill Clinton said on Snapchat [!] yesterday that Hillary makes him rearrange their furniture every three months, and when she is done being president HGTV should really give them a show. Imagine: Two former presidents show up at your house and tell you what's wrong with the layout of your living room! GOLD.)

Speaking of: How “House Hunters” became the most unstoppable juggernaut on TV

Bernie Sanders' Campaign Is Concerned About the 'Berniebro,' As They Maybe Should Be

When A Country Without Abortion Tells Women To Not Get Pregnant

I was happy to read this non-terrible review of The Finest Hours, given what I was saying yesterday about wanting to watch Chris Pine be soaking wet for two hours act.

Interesting: 32 Top Network Execs Dish on the Shows They Really Want

From Pickup Artist to Pariah

Perseus Rescuing Andromeda, In Order Of Rescuing

Morning Coffee (1/9/16)

Big thanks to my newest Patreon patron Chris! You can get in on the fun here.

Tomorrow's issue of the Times magazine has a really great profile of the New Haven special-victims unit. It can be a hard read at times, for obvious reasons, but it's important and extremely well-written.

This story just gets crazier: ‘Catfishing’ over love interest might have spurred U-Va. gang-rape debacle

Devils, Deals, and the DEA was a fascinating and very well-done look at a giant drug cartel case, and yesterday there was a relevant piece of news: El Chapo, Escaped Mexican Drug Lord, Is Recaptured in Gun Battle

Important update on that Alabama cop story from a few months ago: Alabama Cops, Confederate Flags, Racism, and an Over-Eager Media

I'm sorry to break it to you but a lot of those funny Blair/Clinton transcripts going around this week are parody.

Donald Trump plays the media like a fiddle. This Ted Cruz birther flap proves it.

Israel Bans Arab-Jewish Romance Novel in Schools Over Fears of Race-Mixing

This edges a bit toward librarian inside baseball, but nothing about this debacle with commercial sponsors and publication sounds like it was handled well.

A Winter Classic Debacle and the Future of Women's Pro Hockey

Shakespearean tragedies visualized through character interactions

Morning Coffee (11/14/14)

Happy Friday!

Today in Christmas ads that made me cry: Sainsbury's. (It's set in 1914. I'm sure you can guess where this is going.)

Eeee, Netflix UK is making a giant epic drama about Elizabeth II's reign. I am beside myself.

Ooh: Clinton Library wins 'West Wing' scripts

How love and integrity made Welcome to Night Vale a massive success

My friend Laura accidentally baked 404 gingerbread men. Trust me, you want to read this.

Caveat: My parents are very good at understanding/learning about my various jobs. That said, I have run into all of these with other people in my life: 22 Things That Happen When Your Parents Don’t Understand Your Job

This is a great Q&A with Taylor Swift.

The Rise Of The 'Lumbersexual' (I am in favor.)

Video Games Set During The Protestant Wars Of Reformation That I Wish Existed

Morning Coffee (5/7/14)

Update: New Kidnapping Reported in Nigeria as U.S. Offers Help

Shocker: It's like universal health care helps people's health.

I have to figure out how to work an evening podcast into my routine, but I'm excited about Mike Pesca's new The Gist at Slate.

Well, this is awesome: The College of Arms has published rules for The Arms of Individuals in Same-Sex Marriages.

Huh: Monica Lewinsky is doing a Vanity Fair exclusive.

John Green in Cosmo: Can You Get Too Old for YA Novels? (No.)

Terrible news: One in five beers sold in America is a Bud Light

If You Knew Anne of the Island IRL

Morning Coffee (7/26/13)

Good news from BBC America: Law and Order: UK returns on August 7th and Ripper Street on December 1st.

My boss Maureen Johnson did an interview with the AV Club, and I can confirm that yes, this is what she's like.

Virginia Johnson has died.

Can You Name These Cities by Their Starbucks Locations?

World's biggest dinosaur park!

HAHAHA. Here is Bill Clinton singing "Blurred Lines." (Not really. But it's hilarious.

After San Diego Comic-Con, Continuing The Conversation About Women’s Place In Geekdom

Live in a stately home – just don't get too settled in