Afternoon Tea (7/29/19)

Madam President? Five Candidates on What It Will Take to Shatter the Most Stubborn Glass Ceiling

‘Rainfall has rocketed’: the remote weathermen charting the climate crisis

First they burn the books. Then they kill people. History has shown us this repeatedly.

Could This Be the End of Frankincense?

Our Most Anticipated Contemporary YAs of 2019: July to December

Morning Coffee (7/22/19)

Me elsewhere: TV news for the week.

What Americans Do Now Will Define Us Forever

Puerto Rico’s week of massive protests, explained

Ocasio-Cortez calls for an independent investigation into child separation policies

Extradition and independence: What’s behind the continued protests in Hong Kong

Chinese Money in the U.S. Dries Up as Trade War Drags On

Elizabeth Warren’s latest Wall Street enemy: private equity

!!! New Kinks Music is Underway After More Than Two Decades Apart, Dave Davies Confirms

Into this: Natalie Portman will take up Thor’s hammer in Thor: Love and Thunder

What: Paul McCartney Has Been Secretly Writing an ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ Musical

Picard's dog's name in 'Star Trek' spin-off is confirmed, and it's perfect

Morning Coffee (7/15/19)

Me elsewhere: TV news for the week.

Border Patrol Agents Are Passing Around A Commemorative Coin Mocking Care for Migrant Kids

This affects a lot of important research (including climate change) as well as the obvious education aspect: Political chaos roils Alaska as universities face devastating cuts

Uh, I'm pretty sure we've all read this book: Amazon, Microsoft wage war over the Pentagon’s ‘war cloud’

Agriculture Department suspends data collection for honeybees after Trump budget cuts (WEIRDLY ENOUGH this came right after they got rid of a rule banning pesticides that hurt bees!)

Sanders and Warren voters have astonishingly little in common

WOW, this is awful: ‘Big Little Lies’ Season 2 Turmoil: Inside Andrea Arnold’s Loss of Creative Control

The Milky Way Has Battle Scars from Colliding With a Ghostly Galaxy

AWW: Paul McCartney Brings Ringo Starr to the Stage for End-of-Tour Surprise

Unesco Recognizes Heritage Sites, Ancient to Modern, Around the World

Good! Essex drops library closure plans following sustained public protests

Morning Coffee (7/14/19)

Hong Kong Protesters Try to Keep Momentum With Weekend Protests

Of course: Prosecutors unlikely to charge Trump Org executives, sources say

Warren Demands Answers From ICE About Its New Detention Centers in the South

A step... House passes measure to overturn Trump’s ban on transgender service members

Joe Biden’s Senate records could answer questions about his past actions — but they’re being kept secret

Good for Murphy and Hayes (who both represent my hometown) for trying to do something about this: Many College Students Are Too Poor to Eat

Judge Blocks Trump Rule Requiring Drug Companies to List Prices in TV Ads

Democratic donor Ed Buck accused of human trafficking and revenge porn after man dies in his home

Well! Here's What Every Member Of The USMNT Has To Say About U.S. Soccer's Wage Inequality

Found: An Ancient Roman Shipwreck Off the Coast of Cyprus

Morning Coffee (7/10/19)

Migrant kids in overcrowded Arizona border station allege sex assault, retaliation from U.S. agents

Judge Rejects Justice Dept. Request to Change Lawyers on Census Case

"It was supposed to be an exclusive party at Mar-a-Lago, Donald J. Trump’s members-only club in Palm Beach, Fla. But other than the two dozen or so women flown in to provide the entertainment, the only guests were Mr. Trump and Jeffrey Epstein."

President Trump cannot block his critics on Twitter, federal appeals court rules

A new human rights commission sounds nice but don't be fooled: this administration is redefining human rights and probably who gets to be human.

And in gross local news: Sununu Auctions Copy Of His Paid Family Leave Veto At Republican Fundraiser

Warren Rising: Massachusetts Progressive Announces $19 Million Fundraising Haul

Ross Perot, Brash Texas Billionaire Who Ran for President, Dies at 89

Support for legal abortion matches its 24-year high: Poll

Everything in this article is great: In 2003, an 8-year-old Rose Lavelle dressed as Mia Hamm for a third-grade book project

Morning Coffee (7/8/19)

Me elsewhere: TV news for the week.

DRC rebel chief 'the Terminator' convicted of war crimes

Greece Liked to Underestimate Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Now He’s Prime Minister.

Justice Dept. to Replace Lawyers in Census Citizenship Question Case

ICE Used Facial Recognition to Mine State Driver’s License Databases

A Crime by Any Name

US women’s soccer team wins its fourth World Cup

USA's formidable women's soccer team is no accident. It's a product of public policy

Elizabeth Warren Unveils Plan for Getting Women of Color Paid More Fairly

Women's Health Providers Say Impasse After Sununu's Budget Veto Will Hurt Patients

João Gilberto, Father of Bossa Nova, Dies at 88

Morning Coffee (7/2/19)

Inside the Secret Border Patrol Facebook Group Where Agents Joke About Migrant Deaths and Post Sexist Memes

Agents feared riots, armed themselves because of dire conditions at migrant facility, DHS report says

No thank you: Trump Says Tanks Will Be on Display in Washington for July 4

These people should all be ashamed of themselves. This is how evil regimes take hold. Alabamians Defend Arrest of Woman Whose Fetus Died in Shooting

Elizabeth Warren Wants To Transform American Elections

Good: Twitter Conspiracy Theorist Charged With a Felony in Lynch Threat Against Muslim Candidate

Oh no: Center for American Progress Puts ThinkProgress Up for Sale

This is the minimum any decent person should say, but given his position, it's still important and great that he said it: The Duke of Cambridge: ‘absolutely fine’ if children are LGBTQ

Eee, good winners! 2019 Locus Awards Winners

In Hawaii, Construction to Begin on Disputed Telescope Project

Morning Coffee (7/1/19)

Me elsewhere: TV news for the week.

Protesters are trying to storm the Hong Kong government headquarters as I write this - here's the Guardian liveblog.

The Treatment of Migrants Likely ‘Meets the Definition of a Mass Atrocity’

There will be Close the Camps protests tomorrow (Tuesday) at noon. Find one near you.

Bolton Keeps Trying to Goad Iran Into War

The Census Case Is Shaping Up to Be the Biggest Travesty Since Bush v. Gore

Elizabeth Warren & Julián Castro Refused To Battle Each Other In The Debate. It Paid Off.

Gross: 2,495 Reports of Police Bias. Not One Was Deemed Valid by the N.Y.P.D.

This is extremely worrisome: New Study Shows Decline in LGBTQ Acceptance Among Young Americans

Good: Melvil Dewey's name stripped from top librarian award

Groundbreaking astronomer Kepler 'may have practised alchemy'

My Top Ten Takeaways from the First Round of Debates

1. I've been trying not to commit to a candidate too early, but it's time to stop pretending Warren hasn't completely won me over here. My "Warren Has a Plan for That" t-shirt arrives today. There is nothing in the world I love more than plans so I don't know why I though I could hold out.

(1b. Yes, I agree that her handling of the "Pocahontas" thing was Not Great, and I hope she does more to make things right with the Native American community, but there's SOMETHING I don't like about literally every candidate. Holding out for perfection is dangerous and counterproductive. And, you know, impossible.)

2. Of the rest, Castro and Harris did the best and seemed like the other adults on stage, and then probably Booker and Buttigieg. I'd be pretty happy with any of them as VP. Warren/Castro is my dream ticket at this point.

(2b. My main issue with Booker was the way he implied that Warren wanting good research and plans regarding gun violence meant she didn't CARE. Gross.)

3. Bernie did himself no favors but didn't really change my opinion of him in either direction. You know what you're getting with him and you either like it or you don't. I don't. I think he'd be bad at the job of being president and nothing he said made me think otherwise.

4. I miss when Joe Biden was someone I had mostly warm feelings about. (Not in this race, just in general.) He really, really, really needs to go.

5. Actually, let's just get rid of all the white cishet men. They are unnecessary. And it's great to have so many female candidates that we can be CHOOSY and deeply dislike at least two of them and still have options!

6. If one more person criticizes a (usually female) candidate for SEEMING TO HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT SOME OF THESE ISSUES BEFORE rather than being totally! spontaneous! I am going to murder someone.

7. I hope other candidates follow Castro's lead and use inclusive language when talking about abortion rights.

8. I woke up thinking about how many people I know would be really into Marianne Williamson's nonsense about "politics are icky, no need for plans or action or actually confronting difficult things, love will magically heal the world," and that's sad and scary.

9. So much yelling and interrupting and talking over each other! That is not helpful to anyone. Future moderators, please take a stronger stance on this. If the Oscars can cut mics, you can too.

10. I would ABSOLUTELY 100% vote for ANY of these candidates in the general election if they were the nominee, because they are all better than Trump, and if you do not do that you are a bad person.

Morning Coffee (6/27/19)

Investigators Found Immigrant Kids And Families Locked In Disgusting Conditions In Border Camps

Elizabeth Warren proved she’s ready for the big show

Our next election is dangerously vulnerable, a top Democrat warns. Does Trump care?

This is horrifying and a very very very worrisome sign of things to come: Woman indicted in shooting death of her unborn child; charges against shooter dismissed

Elizabeth Warren says she would ban private prisons and detention facilities as president

I love her: Out soccer star Megan Rapinoe says she’s ‘not going to the f–king White House’ after World Cup

By pushing for revote in Istanbul, Erdogan gambled — and lost

Wow: A trans Starbucks employee was misgendered on the job. Starbucks says it isn’t harassment.

A Former Republican Operative With Ties To White Nationalists Has Been Publishing Opinion Pieces In The Wall Street Journal

NASA Rover on Mars Detects Puff of Gas That Hints at Possibility of Life

Morning Coffee (6/26/19)

‘We’re in a Dark Place’: Children Returned to Troubled Texas Border Facility

Good for the Times editorial board: Children Shouldn’t Be Dying at the Border. Here’s How You Can Help.

This guy is, of course, evil and racist: Mark Morgan to replace John Sanders as border chief as DHS shake-up continues

Wayfair Workers Plan Walkout Over Sales to Migrant Detention Facilities

I'm glad Dara Lind is back from vacation: The horrifying conditions facing kids in border detention, explained

GOOD: Elizabeth Warren: Repeal The Law That Criminalizes Migrants

I'm not getting my hopes up for anything to come of this, but I think it's good that it happens regardless: Mueller to testify to Congress in open session about his investigation

Uh, whoa: New Estimate for an Oil Leak: A Thousand Times Worse Than Rig Owner Says

Good: N.R.A. Shuts Down Production of NRATV

And let's end on one more positive thing: Jesuit School, Defying Archdiocese, Refuses to Remove Teacher in Same-Sex Marriage

Afternoon Tea (6/18/19)

A great profile by Emily Bazelon: Elizabeth Warren Is Completely Serious

This happened in my area and was so scary: The Day the Town Blew Up

Stop Using Phony Science to Justify Transphobia

The Invention of the "Beach Read"

The Ruin of Britain

Morning Coffee (6/15/19)

Hong Kong’s Leader, Yielding to Protests, Suspends Extradition Bill

'I think I’d take it': In exclusive interview, Trump says he would listen if foreigners offered dirt on opponents

Trump Is Urged to Fire Kellyanne Conway for Hatch Act Violations

Warren Surges to Second Place in National Poll, Eating Into Support for Sanders

Kazakhstan Gets New Leader, but Old System’s Grip on Power Remains

A shocking number of women are harassed, ignored, or mistreated during childbirth

This is great: N.I.H. Head Calls for End to All-Male Panels of Scientists

Franco Zeffirelli, Italian Director With Taste for Excess, Dies at 96

We knew he was terrible but wow, he's REALLY terrible! Author Nicholas Sparks Tried to Ban LGBT Club and Student Protests at His Christian School, Emails Reveal

If the USWNT’s 13-0 victory over Thailand made you uneasy, then good. That’s the point.

Morning Coffee (6/12/19)

Sudan Protesters, Devastated but Defiant, Regroup Underground After Crackdown

Saudi teenager could face execution for joining protests as child

In case the message wasn't clear enough: Trump Administration to Hold Migrant Children at Base That Served as WWII Japanese Internment Camp

U.S. Customs and Border Protection says photos of travelers were taken in a data breach

This is a great piece: Watching Elizabeth Warren Come Alive

Daughter of Fierce Kavanaugh Defender Amy Chua to Clerk for … Brett Kavanaugh

I'm not SURPRISED at all but it's still sad and disappointing: Vatican says people can’t choose their genders

Awful: Ali Stroker’s Tony Win Was Monumental… And A Huge Slap In The Face

!!! Not Too Little, Too Late: Unfinished Gaudí Basilica Gets Permit 137 Years Later

Egypt tries to stop sale of Tutankhamun statue in London

Morning Coffee (6/9/19)

In case you weren't sure he was lying: Mexico Agreed to Take Border Actions Months Before Trump Announced Tariff Deal

Refugee Resettlement In N.H. Plummets Under Trump Administration

Gay Israelis hold mass wedding to campaign for same-sex unions

Yay! Elizabeth Warren says she’s ‘proud’ her campaign workers unionized

Also yay! Vox Media and employees reach deal on a union contract

Ugh, this stuff should be regulated! Cannabis Companies Push F.D.A. to Ease Rules on CBD Products

Someone who should not be a teacher: Indiana teacher awards autistic boy 'annoying male' trophy

Oh interesting! Barry Jenkins To Direct Alvin Ailey Movie For Fox Searchlight

Nut of note: 70% of world's macadamia can be traced back to single Australian tree

Ancient Fingerprints Show Men and Women Both Made Pottery in the American Southwest

Morning Coffee (6/2/19)

THIS IS BAD: US now seeking social media details from all visa applicants

Uh, so is this: Justice Department does not comply with court order to release transcripts of Michael Flynn’s conversations with Russian ambassador

Good for Elizabeth Warren: No President Is Above the Law

Unhappy With Findings, Agriculture Department Plans to Move Its Economists Out of Town

Their families fled Spain for Venezuela. To escape Maduro, they’re returning again.

These Rape Victims Had to Sue to Get the Police to Investigate

Good news: Transgender no longer recognised as 'disorder' by WHO

Half of H.I.V. Patients Are Women. Most Research Subjects Are Men.

Yay!! Netflix Options Sarah Dessen YA Novels, Sets 'Along for the Ride' Adaptation (Exclusive)

A Signal in Giant Earthquakes That Could Save Lives

Morning Coffee (5/30/19)

Robert Mueller’s first-ever public statement on the Trump-Russia investigation, explained

Israel to hold new elections after Netanyahu coalition talks fail

Even Democrats Keep Thinking Iran Is Worse Than Saudi Arabia

Boycotts of Georgia Will Only Make It Redder

OH COME ON: US energy department rebrands fossil fuels as 'molecules of freedom'

Oklahoma Faces Off Against J & J in First Trial of an Opioid Maker

Elizabeth Warren Gains Ground in 2020 Field, One Plan at a Time

What a loss: Tony Horwitz Dies at 60; Prize-Winning Journalist and Best-Selling Author

Seeing Red in the Fossil Record

This is awful: Princess Diana's Death Is Being Turned Into a Theme Park Attraction and People Are Pissed

Morning Coffee (5/23/19)

India election: Modi set for historic landslide victory

Judge rejects Trump’s request to halt congressional subpoenas for his banking records

And: New York Passes Bill Giving Congress a Way to Get Trump’s State Tax Returns

Elizabeth Warren demands additional information from Trump admin on child migrant deaths

A lawmaker asked Carson about foreclosure properties. He thought she was talking about Oreos.

Of COURSE: Harriet Tubman $20 bill no longer coming in 2020: Mnuchin says redesign postponed

Kris Kobach is the worst in so many ways! A Would-Be Trump Aide’s Demands: A Jet on Call, a Future Cabinet Post and More

Would Democrats Restore Roe If Republicans Overturned It?

New report shows 41 million displaced by conflict, tensions

This production sounds so interesting: Daniel Fish’s ‘Oklahoma!’ To Launch North American Tour In Oklahoma

Morning Coffee (5/21/19)

In Syria, Reports Of 19 Medical Facilities Bombed Since April 28

Accountants Must Turn Over Trump’s Financial Records, Lower-Court Judge Rules

White House blocks former counsel McGahn from testifying to Congress

THIS IS ASTONISHING, even by our current dismal standards: The Century-Old ‘Science Fiction’ Behind Ohio Rep’s Bill Covering Nonexistent Ectopic Pregnancy Treatment

Disgusting: Trump’s pick for ICE director: I can tell which migrant children will become gang members by looking into their eyes

Elizabeth Warren Has a Plan to Save Abortion Rights Of course she does.

Niki Lauda, Austrian Formula 1 legend, dies at 70

This sounds great! Berkley Has Acquired Its First Queer Female Romance and We Have All The Details!

Citrus Farmers Facing Deadly Bacteria Turn to Antibiotics, Alarming Health Officials

The new kilogram just debuted. It’s a massive achievement.

Morning Coffee (5/15/19)

Alabama Lawmakers Vote to Effectively Ban Abortion in the State

White House Reviews Military Plans Against Iran, in Echoes of Iraq War

What Democrats Can Learn About Impeachment From the Civil War

Good for her: 'A hate-for-profit racket': Warren refuses Fox town hall invite

“Am I a bad person?” Why one mom didn’t take her kid to the ER — even after poison control said to.

Bill Nye says "the planet's on f****ing fire" and we need to "grow the f*** up"

Welp: Disney takes over full control of Hulu

How Volunteer Sleuths Identified a Hiker and Her Killer After 36 Years

Royal burial site ‘UK’s answer to Tutankhamun’s tomb’

Goro Shimura, 89, Mathematician With Broad Impact, Is Dead