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 (5/12/19)

Inside Syria’s Secret Torture Prisons: How Bashar al-Assad Crushed Dissent

There is the WILDEST anecdote in here: How golf explains Trump. Seriously.

The White House revoked my press pass. It’s not just me — it’s curtailing access for all journalists.

Pete Buttigieg Confronts Race and Identity in Speech to Gay Group

Huge Racial Disparities Found in Deaths Linked to Pregnancy

Ireland’s Church Homes Gave Children’s Bodies to Medical Schools for Dissection

Dutch family in cash plea to save ancestor’s tulip mania paintings

PERFECT: Kristin Scott Thomas Joins Ben Wheatley's 'Rebecca' Adaptation for Netflix

Producer Greg Berlanti Sets New Series Record With Another Strong Upfront

Morning Coffee (5/5/19)

Bill Barr’s Perverse Theory of Justice

Oglala Sioux Tribe tells the South Dakota governor she is ‘not welcome’ on their reservation

Estonia Ministers’ Gesture Raises Fears of Support for White Supremacy

PrEP vs. Privacy

Study: Major media outlets' Twitter accounts amplify false Trump claims on average 19 times a day

This headline! Why Whales and Dolphins Join the Navy, in Russia and the U.S.

How the Middle Schoolers Who Refused to Be Confirmed Because of Methodist LGBTQ Policies Reveal the Split Within the Church

Hinge in the White House

Exclusive: André Aciman talks striking cover for Call Me by Your Name sequel, Find Me

You Will Never Smell My World the Way I Do

Morning Coffee (5/3/19)

Time for Friday happy links!

VERONICA MARS TRAILER. I can't wait.

Ooh: Presidential Production: Barack and Michelle Obama Announce New Netflix Slate, Including a Frederick Douglass Biopic

This is a great profile of Chasten Buttigieg.

SO CUTE: Princess Charlotte’s Fourth Birthday is (Almost) Here, and We Have New Pics

I want to watch pretty much everything in the PBS summer slate.

Aw: A Stray Dog Joined a 140-mile Race in the Sahara (and Stayed to Get His Medal)

This video of Taylor Swift meeting her new kitten is adorable.

A Violent Splash of Magma That May Have Made the Moon

Genetic History Debunks Legend Of Blue Cheese Origin

Italians try to crack Leonardo da Vinci DNA code with lock of hair

Morning Coffee (5/1/19)

Mueller Objected to Barr’s Description of Russia Investigation’s Findings on Trump

Julian Assange jailed for 50 weeks for breaching bail in 2012

Trump wants to make asylum seekers’ stay in the US harder — and shorter

Supreme Court’s Ruling on Making SNAP Retail Data Public Has Broad Public Health Implications

Ugh, of COURSE: Far-Right Smear Merchants Try to Slime Pete Buttigieg with Bogus Sex Assault Claim

Ashdown Forest: Fire breaks out in Winnie the Pooh wood

Belarus Building Site Yields the Bones of 1,214 Holocaust Victims

Justice prohibits sale of Brazilian books accused of plagiarizing Nora Roberts

Scientists Create Speech From Brain Signals

Women, People of Color Make Progress as TV Writers But Still Underrepresented in Top Jobs

Morning Coffee (4/21/19)

Oh no: Blasts at Churches and Hotels in Sri Lanka Said to Kill Almost 200

Lyra McKee: Two teenage men arrested in connection with journalist's killing

Alexandra Petri, great as always: My book report on ‘The Mueller Report’

The Trump 2020 campaign is going after older people with immigration ads on Facebook

Pete Buttigieg, Barack Obama, and the psychology of liberalism

UNH Study: Bobcat Territory Has Moved With Human Development

Ooh: The Boys in the Band Coming to Netflix From Ryan Murphy; Entire Broadway Cast of All-Gay Actors Set to Return

Ben-Fur: Romans brought rabbits to Britain, experts discover

Ukrainian Pysanka – the Writing on the Egg

Perfect. (Yes, The Onion.) Happy Easter! Peeps Unveils New Boneless, Skinless Marshmallow Breasts

Morning Coffee (4/15/19)

Me elsewhere: TV news for the week.

Aww, this hug is so great and important: Buttigieg looking to begin new era in politics with historic candidacy

This report is very long, but worth your time: How Rupert Murdoch’s Empire of Influence Remade the World

What It Takes to Pull Off India’s Gargantuan Election

Assange tried to use embassy as 'centre for spying', says Ecuador's Moreno

The People Demand Answers: What Happened to Julian Assange’s Cat?

Elizabeth Warren is the intellectual powerhouse of the Democratic party

Trolls hijacked a scientist’s image to attack Katie Bouman. They picked the wrong astrophysicist.

So sad. Please read about his incredible work, if you haven't: Ed Westcott, a Singular Eye at the Dawn of the Atomic Age, Dies at 97

Abuse Allegations Rock Vienna Ballet School

Yeah, not good! Transgender Community Reacts to IMDb Publishing Birth Names Without Consent

Morning Coffee (4/14/19)

Trump Assails Ilhan Omar With Video of 9/11 Attacks

I don't think this would have the effect they think, but it's still terrible that, given how they think, this was their plan: White House proposed releasing immigrant detainees in sanctuary cities, targeting political foes

This investigation is worth your time: You elected them to write new laws. They’re letting corporations do it instead.

A Bill Banning Most Abortions Becomes Law In Ohio

Good: House Passes Bill to Restore Net Neutrality Rules

EVERYTHING about this incident is horrifying: Alaska lawmaker criticizes school district’s handling of bathroom incident

After Obama, Democrats need a new theory of change. Pete Buttigieg thinks he’s got it.

Joan Jones, 79, Force Against Racism in Nova Scotia, Dies

Scottish missionary who died at Auschwitz to be honoured in Hungary

Beauty YouTuber Jeffree Star, Internet Infamy, and a Multi-Million-Dollar Makeup Heist

Morning Coffee (4/9/19)

U.S. Strips Visa From World Criminal Court Prosecutor Pursuing War-Crimes Inquiry

Trump’s flailing shake-up of the Department of Homeland Security, explained

Mystery Man in Trump’s Mar-a-Lago/China Scandal Prompts Counterintelligence Concerns

They just PUT THE FLASH DRIVE IN A SECRET SERVICE COMPUTER??

Yes, It Matters That Pete Buttigieg Is Gay

Suspicious blazes destroy three predominantly black Louisiana churches

Egypt tomb: Mummified mice found in 'beautiful' ancient chamber

Maury Laws, Rankin-Bass Composer-Arranger, Dies at 95

Sigh: What makes Green Day think four men are the perfect authors for a book about female empowerment?

Heh: All Right. Some Cats Do Fetch

Morning Coffee (4/6/19)

GOOD: House Expands Domestic Violence Gun Controls in Rebuke to N.R.A.

Senators desperately try to sway Trump amid disaster aid debacle

Well! Trump Asked That Confirmation of I.R.S. Counsel Be a Priority

This interview with Buttigieg gives a nice summary of his political outlook.

A step! Mormon Church to Allow Children of L.G.B.T. Parents to Be Baptized

UGH: Person who claimed to be child missing for eight years is Ohio ex-convict

Banning DonorsChoose is not the solution to this problem! Teachers often have to crowdfund for classroom supplies. Some districts are banning the practice.

What a story: Google Doodle celebrates pioneering physicist Hedwig Kohn

Huh! Burger King’s new Whopper is 0% beef. That’s a big deal.

Uh... The Cats Movie Will Shrink Actors to Feline Size and Add Performance Capture Fur

Morning Coffee (4/5/19)

We made it! Time for Friday happy links!

This is great: School turning unused food into take-home meals for students

Pete Buttigieg’s 10 Favorite Books

Captain Marvel is officially a $1 billion box office hit

See the faces behind the 19th Amendment at the National Portrait Gallery

CASTING DIRECTLY TO MY INTERESTS: Veronica Mars: Mary McDonnell Joins Hulu Revival in Mystery Role

Excited about this! Booksellers Announce First Annual Romance Bookstore Day

!! Hallmark will air a record 40 new Christmas movies this year

Aww, this skating story: ‘Doing what I love.’ Meredith Hall to return to her childhood roots

This stuff is amazing: Her Universe Honors “Sisters of the Force” in New Collection at Star Wars Celebration Chicago

Hahaha: Imagine if nature documentaries focused on this elusive species: the city snowplow

Morning Coffee (3/27/19)

The Trump administration wants all of Obamacare overturned by the courts

Lawmakers denounce plan to divert military money for wall

UGH: U.S. expands abortion 'gag rule,' cuts funding to regional bloc: Pompeo

Of course: Interior Nominee Intervened to Block Report on Endangered Species

New York Suburb Declares Measles Emergency, Barring Unvaccinated Children From Public

OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma is being held accountable for the opioid epidemic

And: Museums Cut Ties With Sacklers as Outrage Over Opioid Crisis Grows

How Democrats can defeat Trump and his ugly ideas, according to Pete Buttigieg

Prosecutors drop all charges against Jussie Smollett

Oh no: Good Lord, Avengers: Endgame Will Be More Than Three Hours Long

Morning Coffee (3/22/19)

WHAT A WORLD: Pete Buttigieg is a Hufflepuff, husband reveals

This is a delightful update: We found the (actual) first Jewish woman to finish the Iditarod sled dog race

I am both excited and terrified! ‘Sesame Street’ Live-Action Movie Set for 2021

Progress! Buccaneers hire 2 female assistant coaches

Ooh: Oneworld snaps up Southon's 'dazzling' history of murder in Ancient Rome

Slate is now doing the very important work of telling us how scary movies are, starting with Us.

Leigh Bardugo reveals haunting cover, excerpt for adult debut Ninth House

This is so cute: Cover Reveal and Excerpt: HOW TO BE REMY CAMERON by Julian Winters

This is hilarious: How to Create Your Very Own Crossword Puzzle

Ooh, let's buy some sandals!

Morning Coffee (2/26/19)

Me elsewhere: I wrote about why local elections are important in a guest column in the local paper!

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Jeremy Corbyn: we’ll back a second referendum to stop Tory no-deal Brexit

Uh... Mohammad Javad Zarif: Iran's foreign minister announces resignation

A Lawsuit by a Campaign Worker Is the Latest Challenge to Trump’s Nondisclosure Agreements

Green Book’s frustrating Best Picture win, explained

AGREED: Green Book’s Best Picture Win Wasn’t the Most Embarrassing Oscar Victory. This Was.

The fashion was good, though, and I loved the pink dress trend.

This is about an event I attended! What does Pete Buttigieg bring to the table? Experience — really.

SO INFURIATING: Viagra Might Relieve Period Cramps, but Male Pharmaceutical Execs Don't Care

Hilde Lysiak, The 12-Year-Old Journo Inspiration Of Apple TV Series, Strikes Again

Oh how sad: Stanley Donen, Director of Iconic Movie Musicals, Dies at 94

Morning Coffee (2/17/19)

Mueller recommends a very lengthy sentence for Paul Manafort

Trump Isn’t Just Defying the Constitution. He’s Undermining SCOTUS.

Good for them: A Border Agent Detained Two Americans Speaking Spanish. Now They Have Sued.

This is horrifying: Kansas bill claims LGBTQ community is a religion to justify every kind of discrimination against it

I went to a house party for him yesterday and he was REALLY impressive: Pete Buttigieg's Quiet Rebellion

I'd almost forgotten about THIS crisis amidst everything else going on! Spanish government calls snap general election amid Catalan crisis

Pope Defrocks Theodore McCarrick, Ex-Cardinal Accused of Sexual Abuse

What a life: Lee Radziwill, Ex-Princess and Sister of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Dies at 85

GOOD: Academy reverses decision to give out 4 awards during commercial breaks at Oscars after outrage

Early pint: evidence of 'first British beer' found in Cambridgeshire