Morning Coffee (7/27/19)

No shower for 23 days: U.S. citizen says conditions were so bad that he almost self-deported

Of course this administration is doing this: U.S. to Resume Capital Punishment for Federal Inmates on Death Row

Bear Witness Faithfully

How Trump ended up in front of a presidential seal doctored to include a Russian symbol

SOME OF US DID: Joe Biden says he didn't think anyone thought Trump 'would be as bad as he is' during the 2016 presidential election

Treasury Department Launches Investigation Into Delays Behind Harriet Tubman $20 Bill

'No doubt left' about scientific consensus on global warming, say experts

What a headline: French Rock Star’s Instagram Defeats His Widow in Inheritance Battle

Were U.S. Diplomats Attacked in Cuba? Brain Study Deepens Mystery

Fear of Foreign Food May Have Led to the Death of This Crusader King

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 (7/3/19)

GOOD: Federal Court Blocks Trump Administration Policy of Arbitrarily Jailing Asylum-Seekers

DHS Inspector General Finds 'Dangerous Overcrowding' In Border Patrol Facilities

Border agents confiscated lawmakers’ phones. Joaquin Castro captured photo and video anyway.

Phew: 2020 Census Won’t Have Citizenship Question as Trump Administration Drops Effort

Woww: Navy SEAL Acquitted Of Murder After Witness Claims To Have Killed ISIS Captive

About time: House Files Lawsuit Seeking Disclosure of Trump Tax Returns

Kamala Harris Doesn’t Have to Believe in Joe Biden’s Innocence

Amazing: Suspicious substance mailed to 'Straight Pride' organizers turns out to be … glitter

Good for him: Adam Scott Calls Out Mitch McConnell’s Social Media Team for Using His Image on Twitter

Lee Iacocca, Visionary Automaker Who Led Both Ford and Chrysler, Is Dead at 94

Morning Coffee (6/30/19)

Toothpaste and Soap

German far-right group 'used police data to compile death list'

The cost of Trump’s tariffs has fallen ‘entirely’ on US businesses and households: Goldman

Wowww: Supreme Court Affirms Police Can Order Blood Drawn From Unconscious DUI Suspects

Joe Biden's White Privilege

The Case Against Hope

Blue States Roll Out Aggressive Climate Strategies. Red States Keep to the Sidelines.

Blurred lines: Trump’s UN choice and her coal magnate spouse

This is horrifying: Increasing Support for Religiously Based Service Refusals

!! Scientists successfully transfer 1st test tube rhino embryo

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.

Afternoon Tea (6/26/19)

‘Lock the S.O.B.s Up’: Joe Biden and the Era of Mass Incarceration

The kidnapped Yazidi children who don’t want to be rescued from ISIS

If you've seen other article about YA and Twitter going around... well, I recommend THIS one, which is actually well-researched and thoughtful: YA Twitter Can Be Toxic, But It Also Points Out Real Problems

Challenging Heterosexist Readings Of Women’s Holocaust Testimonies

Tsampa: The Tibetan Cereal That Helped Spark An Uprising

Morning Coffee (6/25/19)

Doctor compares conditions for unaccompanied children at immigrant holding centers to 'torture facilities'

Migrant Children Moved From Border Patrol Center After Outcry But. "It is not clear where the children formerly detained at the Clint facility have been transferred" is a CHILLING statement.

White House moves to bar counselor Kellyanne Conway from testifying to Congress about alleged violations of Hatch Act

Trump will never be held accountable for his treatment of women

It’s time for a reckoning for journalists who boosted false narratives about Donald Trump’s LGBTQ policy positions

A good step: A Message From the Billionaire’s Club: Tax Us

What Is Joe Biden Hiding About What He’s Hiding From the New York Times?

Wow: Over 40% of newly elected Indian lawmakers facing charges

Rising Temperatures Ravage the Himalayas, Rapidly Shrinking Its Glaciers

Giant Squid Reappears on Video, This Time in U.S. Waters

Morning Coffee (6/19/19)

U.N. Report Calls for Investigation of Saudi Crown Prince in Khashoggi Killing

Patrick Shanahan withdraws from consideration as Trump’s secretary of defense

SCOTUS Just Killed Off Virginia’s Racial Gerrymander. Its Decision Will Affect Elections for Years to Come.

Trump’s 2020 message: “Depraved” Democrats “want to destroy you”

Mitch McConnell, Too, Welcomes Russian Interference

Joe Biden's Approach to Governing Won't Work

Eight Women Accuse Hollywood Filmmaker Max Landis of Emotional and Sexual Abuse: ‘We’re Not People to Him’

ABOUT TIME: Carnegie medal goes to first writer of colour in its 83-year history

NOPE: Facebook Plans Global Financial System Based on Cryptocurrency

It looked like a simple domestic murder. Then police learned about the alien reptile cult.

Morning Coffee (6/16/19)

A “Listless” 1-Month-Old Girl And Her Teenage Mother Were Discovered In Border Patrol Detention

Obama Veterans: Joe Biden’s Pledge to Work With GOP Is Delusional

Poll: a growing number of Democratic voters are prioritizing gender-related issues

Abortion Rights Haven’t Been A Priority In Blue States — Until Now

Here’s How New Zealand’s ‘Hobbit Law’ Is Impacting The Country

Depo-Provera, an Injectable Contraceptive, Does Not Raise H.I.V. Risk

Patricia Battin, Lightning Rod in a Library War, Dies at 89

Wow: Your Smartphone Is Spying (If You’re a Spanish Soccer Fan)

Women Directed Just 3% of Animated Movies (Study)

Ancient asteroid crater located off coast of Scotland

Morning Coffee (6/13/19)

OH THANK GOODNESS: An Arizona Teacher Helped Migrants. Jurors Couldn’t Decide if It Was a Crime.

Police and protesters clash as mass protests escalate in Hong Kong

Reps of 22 foreign governments have spent money at Trump properties

An important piece about the nonsense Biden is spouting about Republicans: The Fever Is Not Going to Break

Even some Trump allies want Kushner to ice his peace plan

Raytheon, United Technologies to Merge, Forming One of World's Biggest Defense and Aerospace Firms

Maybe this will make some people care?? Climate Change Poses Major Risks to Financial Markets, Regulator Warns

Good for her: USA soccer star Megan Rapinoe refuses to sing national anthem before World Cup match

Shocking! Female nurse who played crucial role in IVF ignored on plaque

Who Were the Ancestors of Native Americans? A Lost People in Siberia, Scientists Say

Morning Coffee (6/10/19)

Me elsewhere: TV news for the week.

The border is in crisis. Here’s how it got this bad.

Company part-owned by Jared Kushner got $90m from unknown offshore investors since 2017

SIGH: Joe Biden Worked to Undermine the Affordable Care Act’s Coverage of Contraception

Swastikas and Burning Pride Flags: Hate Crimes Spike in N.Y.

Trump’s own Defense Department directly contradicts his claim about transgender troops

A Scandal in Austria and the Far Right’s Fortunes in Europe

!!! Big news up here in NH: Three Bear Brook Murder Victims Identified; Citizen Sleuth, Genetic Genealogy Provide Key Clues

This is awful: MSU Wants To Pay Nassar Survivors A Fraction Of What It Paid Those Who Sued Earlier

Guys. JUST DON'T BE CREEPY. 60% of male managers now say they’re uncomfortable mentoring women

Elephants May Sniff Out Quantities With Their Noses

Morning Coffee (6/8/19)

Pure evil: Border Patrol is confiscating migrant kids' medicine, U.S. doctors say

Theresa May officially steps down as Tory leader

The corruption is just so OUT IN THE OPEN: A wealthy Iraqi sheikh who urges a hard-line U.S. approach to Iran spent 26 nights at Trump’s D.C. hotel

Good news for NH: Court finds school funding formula unconstitutional

IS HE, really? ‘Kill the problem’: Alabama mayor sorry for Facebook post accused of ‘inciting violence’ against gays

Oh, whoa! Central Park 5 Prosecutor Dropped by Publisher After Netflix Series Outcry

Biden’s First Run for President Was a Calamity. Some Missteps Still Resonate.

Ohio Doctor Charged With Killing 25 Patients in Fentanyl Overdoses

Undistorting the Civil War

Rock Art and Footprints Reveal How Ancient Humans Responded to Volcanic Eruption

Morning Coffee (6/6/19)

In pictures: D-Day 75th anniversary commemorations

To quote Adam Serwer, the cruelty is the point: Trump administration cancels English classes, soccer, legal aid for unaccompanied child migrants in U.S. shelters

Trump Administration Restricts Federal Research Involving Human Fetal Tissue

This headline is a little... mild; there's a lot here: Russian trolls who interfered in 2016 U.S. election also made ad money, report says

"Yet his presidential campaign confirmed to NBC News that Biden still supports the Hyde Amendment, a four-decade-old ban on using federal funds for abortion services, except in cases of rape, incest or to save the life of the woman."

Reminder that "too lazy to be a Nazi" is not a thing: ‘I own this house.’ California man shrugs off complaints about swastika in front yard

A step: YouTube to Remove Thousands of Videos Pushing Extreme Views

What I Learned Leading the Tiananmen Protests

NOPE: It’s LGBT pride month, but three guys in Boston want a permit for a ‘Straight Pride’ parade

China’s ‘CRISPR Babies’ May Be More Likely to Die Young

Morning Coffee (5/16/19)

This is horrifying: Trump Administration to LGBT Couples: Your ‘Out of Wedlock’ Kids Aren’t Citizens

Skeptical U.S. Allies Resist Trump’s New Claims of Threats From Iran

This headline is, uh, mild; this is definitely added restrictions to legal immigration: Trump Immigration Plan Emphasizes Immigrants’ Skills Over Family Ties

Trump administration cracks down on giant Chinese tech firm, escalating clash with Beijing

Anti-Abortion Laws Will Put Women in Jail

The Senate Is as Much of a Problem as Trump

Biden Is (Still) Leading Cable News Coverage

The Met Will Turn Down Sackler Money Amid Fury Over the Opioid Crisis

Uh: Mel Gibson’s Rep. Claims Controversial ‘Rothchild’ Movie Is ‘Completely Unrelated’ to the Rothschild Family

Shrinking and Quaking Hint at Moon’s Tectonic Life

Morning Coffee (5/13/19)

Me elsewhere: TV news for the week - a lot of it!

Sweden reopens rape case against Julian Assange

South Africa’s ruling party ANC wins reelection

Trump asked Don McGahn to publicly state he didn’t obstruct justice. McGahn refused.

He Crossed the Border Alone, Then Spent 8 Months in Custody. He Was 7.

Leaked Documents Allege the NRA Has Been Spending $100,000 a Day on Lawyers

Biden’s 2020 Rivals Attack Him From the Left on Climate Change

Of course he does: Trump wants to change how poverty is calculated — to make fewer people eligible for benefits

This is so complicated, but I think basically a good step? Gilead Will Donate Truvada to U.S. for H.I.V. Prevention

Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Plant Is Shutting Down

!! For a Split Second, a Quantum Computer Made History Go Backward

Morning Coffee (5/9/19)

Donald Trump Jr. Is Subpoenaed to Testify to Senate Panel on Russia Contacts

The House Judiciary vote on contempt of Congress and what it means for William Barr, explained

Georgia Just Criminalized Abortion. Women Who Terminate Their Pregnancies Would Receive Life in Prison.

Vatican establishes new rule for sexual abuse complaints and coverups involving bishops

Awful: Jewish Family Loses Legal Battle To Recover Painting Stolen By Nazis

Is Biden Really the Most ‘Electable’ Democrat?

The Man Who Made Your iPhone Wants to Run Taiwan. A Sea Goddess Backs Him, He Says.

Jacinda Ardern Got Engaged. New Zealand Almost Didn’t Notice.

He ruins everything! How Donald Trump ruined a space art project

Battle for .amazon Domain Pits Retailer Against South American Nations

Morning Coffee (5/8/19)

Decade in the Red: Trump Tax Figures Show Over $1 Billion in Business Losses

Trump Administration Can Keep Sending Asylum Seekers to Mexico, Court Rules

Iran announces it will stop complying with parts of landmark nuclear deal

One student dead in shooting at suburban Denver school, police say; eight other students injured

Democrats Won’t Do the Right Thing Unless We Make Them

Ebola Deaths Top 1,000 in Congo Amid Clinic Attacks

This is fascinating: The Son Protested the Dictator. The Father Helped Throw Him Out.

Joe Biden Still Doesn’t Understand What He Did to Anita Hill

This Baker & Taylor news is... whew.

Black hole may have swallowed neutron star, say astronomers

Morning Coffee (5/6/19)

Me elsewhere: TV news for the week.

Trump wants Venezuela’s military to remove its president. But Maduro has made that difficult.

Poland’s Populists Pick a New Top Enemy: Gay People

Democrats Green Light Trump’s Authoritarian Ambitions

This story has been WILD: Baltimore’s Mayor Resigns Over a Series of Self-Published Children’s Books

Important historical context for Trump's ridiculous lies about abortion: “They Will Execute the Baby”

"The message Biden is sending is that he cares about women as a political bloc but not as individuals whose perspectives merit concerted empathy."

F.D.A. Approves the First Vaccine for Dengue Fever, but Limits Its Use

Science Academy Pushes to Eject Sexual Harassers

‘Coronation Street,’ Long-Running British Soap, Introduces Its First Black Family

The Hottest App in China Teaches Citizens About Their Leader — and, Yes, There’s a Test

Morning Coffee (4/27/19)

Maria Butina sentenced to 18 months for trying to infiltrate US right and NRA

Of . . . course: Trump Pulls Out of Arms Treaty During Speech at N.R.A. Convention

Joe Biden Expresses Regret to Anita Hill, but She Says ‘I’m Sorry’ Is Not Enough

GOP-led states move the war on voting to a new front: voter registration

Justice Ginsburg schools her conservative colleagues on the meaning of the word ‘consent’

Stephen Moore’s Columns Deriding Women Raise New Questions for Trump Fed Pick

Georgetown students vote overwhelming in favor of $27 fee for slavery reparations

Geraldyn M. Cobb, 88, Who Found a Glass Ceiling in Space, Dies

What an interesting perspective to have available: Diary of explorer David Livingstone's African attendant published

Academy votes not to change Oscar eligibility rules for streaming services in major win for Netflix

Morning Coffee (4/25/19)

ISIS Claims Responsibility for Sri Lanka Attacks. Should We Believe Them?

Terrible: US immigration officials looking at housing migrant children at Guantánamo Bay, report says

SIGH: Joe Biden Announces 2020 Run for President

Trump’s high-stakes subpoena battle with House Democrats, explained

Trump’s tweets are getting more unhinged

Wow! Longest-Serving Republican Lawmaker At Iowa Capitol Joins Democrats

Whoa: Facebook Expects to Be Fined Up to $5 Billion by F.T.C. Over Privacy Issues

GOOD: Nora Roberts Sues Brazilian Writer Who She Says Plagiarized Her Work

Wary of Chinese Espionage, Houston Cancer Center Chose to Fire 3 Scientists

Crusader armies were remarkably genetically diverse, study finds