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

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 (6/8/19)

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

Afternoon Tea (6/5/19)

An Urgent Mystery: Who's Attacking Ebola Responders In Congo — And Why?

This is more well-reported and important (beyond this one case) than the headline sort of implies: Trump Pardoned Billionaire Conrad Black but Left His Prison Buddy Behind

The Atlantic has a great special section for the 100th anniversary of women's suffrage: Votes for Women

When It Comes to Birth Control and Eugenics, Clarence Thomas Gets It All Wrong

Some great recommendations for kids here! 7 New and Upcoming Reads Perfect for Pride Month

Morning Coffee (6/1/19)

Virginia Beach Shooting: 12 Killed in Rampage at Municipal Center

A tiny bit of good news: Missouri's Last Abortion Provider Wins Reprieve, As Judge Rules Against State

And some REALLY good news up here: N.H. Abolishes Death Penalty, As Legislature Overturns Governor's Veto

House Republicans block $19.1 billion nationwide disaster aid bill for third time

White House requested USS John S. McCain move “out of sight” while Trump was in Japan

Trump finally admits Russia helped get him elected

Exclusive: DNC Requires Female Moderators At Every 2020 Debate

Measles Cases Reach Highest Level in More Than 25 Years, C.D.C. Says

How Trump's Anti-Transgender Policies Could Hurt Young People

A School of Fish, Captured in a Fossil

Morning Coffee (5/29/19)

Evil: Trump Administration Separates Some Migrant Mothers From Their Newborns Before Returning Them to Detention

Good news! Supreme Court rejects transgender bathroom case, allowing transgender students to use bathroom of choice

Of fucking COURSE he would: In reversal from 2016, McConnell says he would fill a potential Supreme Court vacancy in 2020

This is awful: Missouri’s Last Abortion Clinic Could Stop Providing the Procedure This Week

New Hampshire Prisons Ban Books Critical of Prison System, Award Winners

Right-wing media's anti-abortion misinformation playbook for 2020

5G could mean less time to flee a deadly hurricane, heads of NASA and NOAA warn

Denied graves by Nazis, resistance fighters finally buried

Murray Gell-Mann, Who Peered at Particles and Saw the Universe, Dies at 89

Research Says Having Fresh Flowers in Your Home Can Actually Reduce Levels of Pain

Morning Coffee (5/25/19)

Yay! After years of fierce debate, Taiwan celebrates the first same-sex weddings in Asia

A good step for New Hampshire: House votes to override governor's veto of death penalty repeal

Also good but it doesn't look like these majorities are veto-proof: N.H. Senate Passes Three Gun-Related Bills

And another good step! Bill to Create Commission to Redraw Legislative Maps Clears N.H. Senate

Distorted Videos of Nancy Pelosi Spread on Facebook and Twitter, Helped by Trump

Banker Accused of Arranging $16 Million in Loans to Manafort to Gain High-Level Trump Post

Very bad: New Trump administration rule would weaken protections for transgender people in health care

And: Proposed HUD rule would strip transgender protections at homeless shelters

ACLU and Planned Parenthood file lawsuit against Alabama's near-total abortion ban

If you're wondering what Theresa May's resignation means, read June Thomas: The Last Days of May

Morning Coffee (9/22/18)

(I'm traveling so this was mostly written in advance.)

Rod Rosenstein Suggested Secretly Recording Trump and Discussed 25th Amendment

Senate Judiciary chairman says he’ll give Kavanaugh accuser more time to decide whether to testify before committee

U.S. approach to Yemen is challenged as country splinters and government vanishes

Midterms 2018: the battle for state legislatures

This is awful: Pennsylvania to end prison book donations, forcing inmates onto pricey eBook platform

Two Murders in Iowa

Luigi Cavalli-Sforza, 96, Who Tracked Genes Through History, Dies

‘Downton Abbey’ Movie Sets Fall 2019 Opening

Likely birthplace of Henry VII found in Pembroke Castle

Oregon Launches First Statewide Refillable Bottle System In U.S.

Afternoon Tea (9/6/18)

Spain Exhumes Its Painful Past

Do Inmates Have Access to Crime Novels?: Crime Fiction, Banned Books, and the Prison-Industrial Complex

Welcome To Nemesis Twitter, Where Phantom Beefs Run Wild And Free

The shady world of beauty influencers and the brands that pay them, explained

A very useful piece by my friend Katie for any writers out there: How to Grow an Audience as a Newer Author

Morning Coffee (8/26/18)

John McCain, War Hero, Senator, Presidential Contender, Dies at 81

Kremlin Sources Go Quiet, Leaving C.I.A. in the Dark About Putin’s Plans for Midterms

Paul Manafort and Trump’s Pardon Pattern

Donald Trump’s Gangster Ethic Is Perverting the Jury System

How a Political Machine Works: Candidates Running for 21 Seats, All Unaware

A mass incarceration expert says the 2018 prison strike could be “one of the largest the country has ever seen”

Wow: Miss America: Leadership bullied, manipulated, silenced me

Why Elon Musk Is Reading ‘The Waste Land’

Hear, hear: Your Workplace Isn’t Your Family (and That’s O.K.!)

Summer weather is getting 'stuck' due to Arctic warming

Evidence in the bones reveals rickets in Roman times

Morning Coffee (8/9/18)

This is astonishing, even by Trump administration standards: The Shadow Rulers of the VA

WHEE: Rep. Chris Collins (R-N.Y.) charged with insider trading, federal prosecutors announce

A Nail-Biter in Ohio Is a Democratic Triumph

These people are just despicable: Alex Jones’ Lawyer Seeks To Make Sandy Hook Parents’ Home Addresses Public

By not banning Alex Jones, Twitter is making a political choice

Beyond family separation: Trump’s ongoing war on asylum, explained

Deluge of opposition to Israel’s nation-state law builds with new court petition

GOOD: Phone Calls From New York City Jails Will Soon Be Free

BAD: Oscars Won't Televise All Awards Live, Adds "Popular" Film Category

Bones found at Stonehenge belonged to people from Wales

Afternoon Tea (8/6/18)

A siege. A bomb. 48 dogs. And the black commune that would not surrender

When Crime Comes for the Crime Writer

Why the era of Peak TV is the era of the disappointing second season

The Titanic Wreck Is a Landmark Almost No One Can See

Interesting: My New Obsession: Alternate Universe Filipino Romance Novels

Morning Coffee (8/4/18)

I'm glad our state party immediately called for him to resign: State Sen. Jeff Woodburn Arrested On Domestic Violence, Assault Charges

Myanmar Official Line: Rohingya Are Returning. But Cracks in That Story Abound.

Suspected Russian spy found working at US embassy in Moscow

This story has a GREAT lede: Beto O’Rourke Is Officially Making Ted Cruz Sweat

Good for him: Pope Francis Declares Death Penalty Unacceptable in All Cases

WHAT A PITY: The NRA Says It’s in Deep Financial Trouble, May Be ‘Unable to Exist’

Spotify removes Alex Jones’s podcasts, citing policy on ‘hate content’ (Really, they've removed specific episodes that were flagged by users, which is... a step but not enough.)

Apple Is Worth $1,000,000,000,000. Two Decades Ago, It Was Almost Bankrupt.

This saga is so terrible: Agent Danielle Smith’s Former Clients Speak Out

Oh no: Fields Medal Is Stolen Minutes After It’s Given in Brazil

Morning Coffee (7/28/18)

I'm away, so this was written in advance. Back to normal in a few days!

Cohen claims Trump knew in advance of 2016 Trump Tower meeting

The Trump GOP-Russia Alliance Is A Natural Alliance

Whistleblower Provides Emails That Show Stormy Daniels' Arrest Was Pre-Planned

Montana Governor Sues I.R.S., Warning of ‘Foreign Money’ in Elections

ISIS Is Shaking Britain’s Anti–Death Penalty Resolve

!!! New Evidence for a Hidden Lake on Mars

Wow: Ta-Nehisi Coates Is Leaving The Atlantic

Eee! Lin-Manuel Miranda, Michelle Williams, Sam Rockwell Team for Fosse-Verdon Series at FX

Seagram’s heiress arrested for role in controversial “sex cult”

Women, Stop Volunteering for Office Housework!

Morning Coffee (7/26/18)

Doing another ALL TERRIBLE NEWS post to clear the decks for happy Friday links tomorrow. Sorry! But this stuff is important!

Government: 463 migrant parents may have been deported without their children

Separated migrant family of six faced one hurdle after another after immigration crackdown

Ugh: Justice Department: Use 'illegal aliens,' not 'undocumented'

All the President’s Hush Money

Trump-Cohen tape: the conversation, controversy and key claims

Good: Jason Spencer, Georgia Lawmaker Duped by Sacha Baron Cohen, to Resign (The issue, of course, isn't BEING DUPED but rather the things he was willing to do/say.)

Great: Voter purge frenzy after federal protections lifted, new report says

University Student Accused of Raping Woman After Quoting Donald Trump

How Prisons Are Poisoning Their Inmates

Venezuela Inflation Could Reach One Million Percent by Year’s End

Morning Coffee (7/1/18)

It’s official: The Trump administration has replaced family separation with indefinite family detention

Agents Seek to Dissolve ICE in Immigration Policy Backlash

An ICE attorney made almost $200,000 stealing immigrants’ identities. Now he’s going to prison.

Scoop: Trump's private threat to upend global trade

Inside the White House’s Quiet Campaign to Create a Supreme Court Opening

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on her Catholic faith and the urgency of a criminal justice reform

Supreme Court rules that warrant is needed to access cell tower records

Wow: Four to face trial over Hillsborough charges

ABC Pulls ‘The Proposal’ Episode After Woman Says Contestant Was Involved In Sexual Assault

Can Crows Make Mental Pictures of Tools?

Morning Coffee (2/7/18)

ICYMI, yesterday's Oscar Project posts: Icarus and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Germany coalition talks: Merkel's conservatives and SPD 'clinch deal'

Here's some good context for that: Fear and Loathing in the Bundestag

Of course: Justice Dept. Office to Make Legal Aid More Accessible Is Quietly Closed

How evil: Trump Evangelical Advisor: No Need for Flu Shots When You Can 'Inoculate Yourself With the Word of God'

What It May Take to Strike a Segregationist’s Name From a Georgia Bridge: Hundreds of Girl Scouts

Falcon Heavy, in a Roar of Thunder, Carries SpaceX’s Ambition Into Orbit

A Primer on the Four Olympic Events Debuting in Pyeongchang

Whoa: Exclusive: Laser Scans Reveal Maya "Megalopolis" Below Guatemalan Jungle

Hmmmm: 'Game of Thrones' Creators to Write New 'Star Wars' Film Series

Ooh, royal jewel drama: Romania Looking for Queen Marie's Lost Jewels

Morning Coffee (4/15/17)

Oh, thank goodness: Federal Judge Blocks Arkansas Executions

Can Churches Hire Police? Alabama Legislators Reckon With the First Amendment

U.N. Experts Condemn Killing and Torture of Gay Men in Chechnya

The Islamic State has tunnels everywhere. It’s making ISIS much harder to defeat.

How Russia Hacked Obama's Legacy

Riddle of Why Hitler Didn’t Use Sarin Gas Remains Unsolved

Donald Trump and Paul Ryan are the problem — a staff shake-up won't fix anything

Mary Beard on Women in Power is definitely worth your time.

Chris Hayes's By the Book is FULL of things I want to read.

Ha! PG Tips triumphs as ASA rules pyramid teabags make better cuppa

Ooh: Found: A Silver Snake Ring Dating Back to Roman Britain

Astronomers Capture the First ‘Image' of the Dark Matter That Holds the Universe Together

Morning Coffee (4/3/17)

Me elsewhere: TV news for the week.

In Anatomy of an Afghan Bombing, Clues of a Tangled War

Vice President Pence’s “never dine alone with a woman” rule isn’t honorable. It’s probably illegal.

This piece from Dara Lind on the visa process is important: The art of denial

"Many career diplomats say they still have not met [Tillerson], and some have been instructed not to speak to him directly — or even make eye contact."

The destruction of Hillary Clinton: sexism, Sanders and the millennial feminists

Not... really! GOP lawmaker: The Bible says ‘if a man will not work, he shall not eat’

Quite some Internet sleuthing: This Is Almost Certainly James Comey’s Twitter Account

Making Freedom Free

Good expose on for-profit schools for "troubled" kids: Hard Lessons

Spy report that criticised Marlowe for 'gay Christ' claim is revealed online

Do not want: Netflix lets you literally choose your own adventure

Morning Coffee (3/30/17)

Pillars of the West Shaken by ‘Brexit,’ but They’re Not Crumbling Yet

The UK has officially begun the Brexit process. Here's what happens now.

The Marine Photo Scandal and the Cost of Indifference

An Alabama Prison’s Unrelenting Descent Into Violence

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ President Trump’s company pursues second Washington hotel

70 days in, Donald Trump’s presidency is flailing

The Offender of the Free World

Devin Nunes's botched effort to scuttle the Trump/Russia investigation, explained

Donald Trump’s belief that Obamacare is “exploding” is false and self-destructive

The Future of the Left Is Female

I'm mostly enjoying Reza Aslan's show Believer, but this makes some good points: Reza Aslan and the Risks of Making Religion Relatable

Forbidden love: The WW2 letters between two men