Morning Coffee (8/4/19)

Border Patrol’s Toxic Culture Goes Way Beyond Facebook Groups. It’s Actually for Sale on a T-Shirt.

This is terrifying: North Carolina gun shop uses images of four congresswomen of color on billboard

This is really the stupidest timeline: Iceland criticized Duterte’s drug war, so he accused its people of ‘eating ice’

15 Percent Is Not A Magic Number For Primary Delegates

Medicare for All? For More? Here’s How Medicare Works

Wow: Cisco to Pay $8.6 Million to Settle Government Claims of Flawed Tech

Iranian Soccer Star’s Sister Wants Women to Be Allowed at His Matches

Crystal Cathedral in California Gets a New Life as a Catholic Church

When a Mega-Tsunami Drowned Mars, This Spot May Have Been Ground Zero

Harlan Lane, Vigorous Advocate for Deaf Culture, Dies at 82

Morning Coffee (8/3/19)

Sigh: Lewandowski confirms he's 'very seriously' considering 2020 US Senate run

Oh THIS is what happened with that whole weird thing: Pence Canceled New Hampshire Trip to Avoid Meeting a Drug Trafficker

Enough with "Novelty Candidates"

There's hope: Only 8 Candidates Have Qualified for the Next Democratic Debate

The Trump Strain in American History

Moves to improve press freedom in Malaysia met with cautious optimism

New Documents Raise Ethical and Billing Concerns About the NRA’s Outside Counsel

Could a PrEP implant change the fight against HIV infection forever?

Triceratops Skull, 65 Million Years Old, Unearthed by College Student, 23

Study Asks If War Makes A Person More ... Or Less ... Religious

Morning Coffee (7/29/19)

Me elsewhere: TV news for the week.

Trump says Daniel Coats, director of national intelligence, to step down

‘I Have a Moral Responsibility to Come Forward’: Colonel Accuses Top Military Nominee of Assault

A controversial deal between US and Guatemala could reshape the asylum process

In Congo, a New Plan to Fight Ebola Follows a Government Power Struggle

RT fined £200,000 for breaching impartiality rules

Moody’s Buys Climate Data Firm, Signaling New Scrutiny of Climate Risks

Sen. Chris Murphy announces new book on violence and guns

Your Data Were ‘Anonymized’? These Scientists Can Still Identify You

Nasa fast-tracks habitation module for planned moon landing

A Shipwreck, 500 Years Old, Appears on the Baltic Seabed

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

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 (5/25/19)

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 (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 (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

Afternoon Tea (4/19/19)

The Children of the Children of Columbine

The Quest for the Most Elusive Material in Physics

Why I write carefree Muslim girls

Funeral workers are finally opening up about the job’s emotional toll

Top Ten Revolutionary War Patriot Homes in Connecticut

Morning Coffee (4/7/19)

We Fled the Gangs in Honduras. Then the U.S. Government Took My Baby.

South Africa Crippled by Rolling Blackouts, Weeks Before an Election

Donors to the Trump inaugural committee got ambassador nominations. But are they qualified?

Joe Biden Isn’t the Answer

‘Unspoken Sexism’ Dampens Fundraising For Women Running In 2020

Wow. A pro-gun activist lobbied for “constitutional carry” by showing up at Texas lawmakers’ homes. Now the bill is DOA.

Donald Trump Is Never More Donald Trump Than When He's Cheating At Golf

The Death of Fascist Irony

Trump’s administration let schools serve unhealthy lunches again. States are suing.

Cats Might Not Act Like It, But They Know Their Names As Well As Dogs, Study Says

Sigh. Polish priest apologises for Harry Potter book burning

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 (3/30/19)

British Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit agreement fails for a third time

Brunei to Punish Adultery and Gay Sex With Death by Stoning

The Mueller report will be released to the public by mid-April

In Blow to Trump, Judge Blocks Health Care Law ‘End Run’

An Awkward Kiss Changed How I Saw Joe Biden

Go, New Hampshire: Senate Passes Voting Registration Measure, Adopts Independent Redistricting Panel

How Donald Trump inflated his net worth to lenders and investors

He's so disgusting: Alex Jones blames ‘psychosis’ for Sandy Hook hoax claim

Jussie Smollett Is Free. That’s Good, Whether He’s Guilty or Not.

This is so sad: French New Wave filmmaking icon Agnès Varda dies at 90

Morning Coffee (3/25/19)

Me elsewhere: TV news for the week.

Bill Barr’s letter summarizing Mueller’s findings, explained

This is horrifying: Mock Executions? Real Screams and Blood? Just Another School Shooter Drill

Good: Iowa Supreme Court rules that Medicaid can cover sex reassignment surgery

The Media Gaslighting of 2020’s Most Likable Candidate

And: Beto is playing to liberal fears about running a woman against Trump

Nikki Haley is wrong: Finland takes care of new moms way better than the US

Here’s what Disney owns after the massive Disney/Fox merger

I'm not sure we NEEDED this but I will definitely read it: Call Me by Your Name sequel Find Me to publish this October

Go Herodotus! Nile shipwreck discovery proves Herodotus right – after 2,469 years

Matthew Rhys as Perry Mason?!?!

Morning Coffee (3/23/19)

Last ISIS Village in Syria Falls, and a Caliphate Crumbles

This does a good job of clarifying what's going on right now: The brewing fight over making the Mueller report public, explained

New Zealand to Ban Military-Style Semiautomatic Guns, Jacinda Ardern Says

E.U. Approves Brexit Extension, but Chaotic Departure Still Looms

Trump Overrules Own Experts on Sanctions, in Favor to North Korea

Good: Judge Restores Wisconsin Governor's Powers, Strikes Down GOP Laws

Teen arrested over racist threat that closed Charlottesville schools

All the numbers here are awful: Only 7 Black Students Got Into Stuyvesant, N.Y.’s Most Selective High School, Out of 895 Spots

Beto O’Rourke’s border cred is genuine. It’s not the same as an immigration platform.

Good for them: GoFundMe Bans Anti-Vaxxers Who Raise Money to Spread Misinformation

Morning Coffee (3/17/19)

New Zealand shows willingness to curb guns after one, not 1,981 mass shootings

Documents Reveal ICE Using Driver Location Data From Local Police for Deportations

This is awful: Hate crimes unit investigates Ginsburg poster graffiti

AS IS THIS: GOP Tries To Gut Protections For Native Women In Violence Against Women Act

One British Ex-Soldier to Be Prosecuted in ‘Bloody Sunday’ Shootings

Beto O'Rourke Would Make an Excellent Mix Tape. But He Shouldn't Run for President (Yet).

How Trump’s Brand of Grievance Politics Roiled a Pennsylvania Campaign

W.S. Merwin, Poet of Life’s Evanescence, Dies at 91

Actually, Women Do Ask for Money. They Just Don’t Get It.

New Study Shows Lack of Equity And Advancement For Diverse TV Writers

Morning Coffee (3/16/19)

The New Zealand Massacre Was Made to Go Viral

This is disgusting: Far-right Australian senator blames New Zealand attack on Muslim immigrants

The UK Parliament has voted to delay Brexit BUT CAN THEY??

Uh, this seems not good!! US bars entry to International Criminal Court investigators

Israel responded forcefully to rockets launched from Gaza

Senate Republicans see the national emergency vote as a one-time break with Trump

OKAY, some good news: Sandy Hook Massacre: Remington and Other Gun Companies Lose Major Ruling Over Liability

Facebook’s Data Deals Are Under Criminal Investigation

Birch Bayh, Indiana senator who championed Title IX, dies at 91

‘One Day at a Time’ and Why Netflix Is Not Your Friend

Morning Coffee (3/6/19)

These guys are despicable: New Hampshire Republicans Wore Pearls To Oppose Gun Bill & Survivors Are Livid

Explosive devices found at Waterloo station, Heathrow and City airports

Nazi salutes and a swastika made of red cups: Newport Beach students condemned for ‘abhorrent anti-Semitic activity’

!!! H.I.V. Is Reported Cured in a Second Patient, a Milestone in the Global AIDS Epidemic

How many times does she have to say this? She’s not running: Hillary Clinton rules out 2020 bid

Men Still Report the Bulk of Our Elections Coverage

Wow, this should be interesting: Pope Francis to Allow Access to Holocaust-Era Documents of Pius XII

This is... not good: The Obama Presidential Library That Isn’t

YouTube Bans Comments on Videos of Young Children in Bid to Block Predators

Jean Fairfax, Unsung but Undeterred in Integrating Schools, Dies at 98

Morning Coffee (2/28/19)

YAY: House passes most sweeping gun control legislation in decades

Vox has a bunch of good pieces about different aspect of the Michael Cohen hearing here.

North Carolina Operative Indicted in Connection With Absentee Voter Fraud

Why it Matters if Trump Knew About Stone's Contacts with WikiLeaks

Chicago Runoff Ensures City Will Elect Its First Black Woman As Mayor

U.S. denied tens of thousands more visas in 2018 due to travel ban: data

Germany Is Testing the Limits of Democracy

Good for her: Emma Thompson’s letter to Skydance: Why I can’t work for John Lasseter

Facebook wants up to 30% of fan subscriptions vs Patreon’s 5%

Bill Jenkins, Who Tried to Halt Tuskegee Syphilis Study, Dies at 73

Morning Coffee (2/13/19)

This collection of obituaries by teen reporters of young gun violence victims is moving and important: Since Parkland

Trump supporter attacks BBC cameraman at El Paso rally

Blackface Is the Tip of the Iceberg

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is making the Green New Deal a 2020 litmus test

AP Exclusive: Undercover spy exposed in NYC was 1 of many

Southern Baptist Convention: More than 200 ministers, deacons and others have been found guilty of sex abuse, report says

Greece, 10 Years Into Economic Crisis, Counts the Cost to Mental Health

What’s Anti-Semitic?

Plummeting insect numbers 'threaten collapse of nature'

British Library's collection of obscene writing goes online

Morning Coffee (2/4/19)

Me elsewhere: TV news for the week.

Let's start with a story of someone doing something good: Candice Payne Got 30 Hotel Rooms for Homeless People in Chicago During Severe Cold Snap

The Trump-Russia Investigation and the Mafia State

"Among their concerns was that if Mr. Trump won the election and then defaulted, Deutsche Bank would have to choose between not collecting on the debt or seizing the assets of the president of the United States."

Utah Voters Approved Medicaid Expansion At The Ballot Box. The GOP Is Trying To Undo It.

This is awful: Judge says Tampa conversion therapy ban violates First Amendment free-speech rights

WELP: European colonizers killed so many Native Americans that it changed the global climate, researchers say

Oh, how cool: Haagen Dazs, Procter & Gamble to offer reusable containers in Pa., N.J.

Journalist Reminds Twitter Ted Bundy Was A Monster By Honoring His Victims

Olivia Colman and Walton Goggins are doing a thriller about a cult!!!

Interesting idea: ‘Oklahoma!’ To Be Broadway’s First “Gun Neutral” Production As Lauded Musical Joins Hollywood Initiative: Sundance